Nuclear Power Plant

Nuclear power is the power (generally electrical) produced from controlled (i.e., non-explosive) nuclear reactions. Commercial plants use nuclear fission reactions. Electric utility reactors heat water to produce steam, which is then used to generate electricity. Sixteen countries depend on nuclear power for at least a quarter of their electricity. France gets around three quarters of its power from nuclear energy, while Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia and Ukraine get one third or more. Japan, Germany and Finland get more than a quarter of their power from nuclear energy, while in the USA one fifth is from nuclear. Among countries which do not host nuclear power plants, Italy gets about 10% of its power from nuclear, and Denmark about 8%.