bei48482_FM

458 Chapter Twelve

A Nuclear World?

I

n 1951 the first electricity from a nuclear plant was generated in Idaho. Today over 400

reactors in 26 countries produce about 200,000 MW of electric power—the equivalent of

nearly 10 million barrels of oil per day. France, Belgium, and Taiwan obtain more than half

electricity from reactors, with several other countries close behind (Fig. 12.25). In the United

reserves of uranium could fuel reactors for many centuries to come. Because plutonium

can also be used in nuclear weapons (unlike the slightly enriched uranium that fuels

ordinary reactors), the widespread use of breeder reactors would also complicate the

control of nuclear weapons. Several breeder reactors are operating today, all of them

outside the United States. They have proved to be extremely expensive and have had

severe operating problems.

Actually, plutonium is already an important nuclear fuel. By the end of the usual

three-year fuel cycle in a reactor, after which the fuel rods are replaced, so much

plutonium has been produced from the^238 U present that more fissions occur in^239 Pu

than in^235 U.

Figure 12.25Percentage of electric energy in various countries that comes from nuclear power stations.

Figures are for 1997.

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Brazil

Netherlands

Argentina

Canada

United States

United Kingdom

FranceBelgium

Percent

78

60

South Korea

34

Hungary

40

Sweden

46

Switzerland

41

Spain

29

Japan

34

28

21

14

11

3

1

bei48482_ch12.qxd 1/23/02 12:08 AM Page 458 RKAUL-9 RKAUL-9:Desktop Folder: