Nuclear Power Stations of the World, and the Countries that Host Them

The tragic scenario in Japan should put all of us on notice that keeping nuclear power stations safe is not entirely up to humans anymore. Mindless earthquakes, tsunamis, storms and other natural disasters have a huge say-so in whether or not one or more nuke power plants become radiative cigars.

Now, if just one nuclear power plant tampered by an earthquake in Japan can pose this much danger, what would happen if a 10.0 or higher earthquake were to compromise a nuclear installation or two? One earthquake of just the right impact, and an entire region or nation could become radiation zone, leaving our experts scrambling for fleeting solutions. Simply put, our trusted nuclear engineers, nuclear scientists and specialists are not as in charge of these ticking time bombs as we would prefer to presume.

We are not even talking nuclear weapons here. We're talking “peaceful” nuclear power plants built to provide electricity more “cheaply” than electric power from fossil fuel. The smart people keep reminding us of how few and far between serious nuclear accidents are. The Chernobyl disaster happened in Russia nearly 25 years ago, April 26, 1986.

Is is hysteria to be concerned about the number of nuclear power stations in the world?

Let's keep in mind that emissions of nuclear radiation would not recognize national borders between neighboring countries, even if there's a river or fence separating the two nations! Nuclear radiation leaps rivers and jumps fences. A nuclear mishap in Pakistan could become just as deadly in India.

Here are the nations that currently have operational nuclear power stations. The list is from the lowest to the highest number of nuclear stations.

• Armenia, Netherlands, and Slovenia: 1 each
  
  
• Brazil, Bulgaria, Mexico, Pakistan, Romania, South Africa: 2 each
  
  
• Finland, Hungary, Slovakia: 4 each
  
  
• Switzerland: 5
  
  
• Czech Republic: 6
  
  
• Belgium: 7
  
  
• Spain: 8
  
  
• Sweden: 10
  
  
• China: 13
  
  
• Ukraine: 15
  
  
• Germany: 17
  
  
• Canada: 18
  
  
• United Kingdom: 19
  
  
• India: 20
  
  
• South Korea: 21
  
  
• Russia: 32
  
  
• Japan: 55
  
  
• France: 58
  
  
• United States: 104, leading the world right now
  
  

That's 443, the total number of active nuclear power plants in our global village. With that many nuke reactors, a perfect storm of disasters could jeopardize an unthinkable percentage of the world's population. (I hate to be negative!)

Having tasted the lure of nuclear electricity, some nations have primed their gears to build even more. Not counting planned or proposed nuclear power stations, here are the numbers of new stations being built at the time of this writing:

• Argentina : 1
  
  
• Brazil: 1
  
  
• Finland: 1
  
  
• France: 1
  
  
• Pakistan: 1
  
  
• Canada: 2
  
  
• Japan: 2 (Do you think the Fukushima incident will cause the Japanese to halt construction on these new nuke plants?)
  
  
• Slovakia: 2
  
  
• India: 5
  
  
• South Korea: 5
  
  
• Russia: 10
  
  
• China: 27, the leader in new nuke constructions.
  
  

The total number of nuke plants under construction around the world is 62. China is poised to take the lead in total number of nuclear stations, when all 160 planned and proposed nuclear power plants come online.

While the argument for nuclear power totes the line of cleaner energy, the real story is that nuclear power is often about something more valuable than electricity. Producing nuclear energy has become a game changer, a coming of age, giving each nuke-powered nation a sense of scientific smart and achievement, a halo of national respect, pride and power (not just electrical power). Thus a nuclear station has virtually the same effect in world politics as owning nuclear weapon. Nuclear power is how nations flex their muscles throughout our global village.

So who cares if an earthquake turns one of these sleeping hells into an abyss of radiation that imperils health and lives? So be it. The important thing is that we have scientifically arrived, and we cannot be pushed around anymore. “We can nuke like you, so you'd better respect us around here, or else!” With collective grand egos soaring that high, it often takes nothing less than a nuclear accident or disaster or a close call to jerk us back to earth, which will hopefully remain our peaceful home for years to come.

Source: World Nuclear Association (WNA)