France's popular nuclear energy program has generated headlines worldwide. It's hard to avoid stories touting France's mind-boggling 75.2% (of total energy) nuclear generation. Which brings us to the question: How does the United States stack up?
In terms of % of total energy generated the United States (Light Blue in the Graph) seems to lag, falling behind France, Germany, Finland, and even Slovakia.
However, in terms actual kilowatt hours generated, the United States generates more kilowatt hours of nuclear energy than any other country in the world.
So everything is great for America then? End of story? Not quite, the United States' nuclear power infrastructure is aging; almost all US nuclear energy is generated from plants built from 1967-1990. About half of U.S. nuclear energy comes from plants over 30 years old. However, U.S. policy is changing as concerns about climate change, and energy independence are causing U.S. policy makers to take a fresh look at nuclear energy. After years of decline, the U.S. is again making large investments in nuclear R&D, with programs like the Next Generation Nuclear Plant, with an expected pilot plant ready by 2021. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (See Sec. 645) also provided funding for the construction of new plants being built Right Now.
So the U.S. stacks up fairly well internationally when it comes to nuclear power. If we can navigate our way past our aging nuclear infrastructure, and we continue to invest heavily in nuclear energy R&D, the United States could easily re-establish itself as a world leader in the sector.
Source Data/Further Reading World-Nuclear.org
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