Nuclear power

This article is about power derived from nuclear reactions. For countries that possess nuclear weapons see: Nuclear powers .

History

Origins

The first successful experiment with nuclear fission was conducted in 1938 in Berlin by the German physicists Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman.

Related Topics:
Nuclear fission - Berlin - Otto Hahn - Lise Meitner - Fritz Strassman

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During the Second World War, a number of nations embarked on crash programs to develop nuclear energy, focusing first on the development of nuclear reactors. The first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was obtained by Enrico Fermi in 1943, and reactors based on his research were used to produce the plutonium necessary for two of the nuclear weapons (the "Trinity" device and the "Fat Man" weapon dropped on Nagasaki, Japan). Several nations began their own construction of nuclear reactors at this point, primarily for weapons use, though research was also being conducted into their use for civilian electricity generation.

Related Topics:
Second World War - Nuclear reactor - Nuclear chain reaction - Enrico Fermi - 1943 - Plutonium - Nuclear weapon - Trinity - Fat Man - Nagasaki, Japan

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Electricity was generated for the first time by a nuclear reactor on December 20, 1951 at the EBR-I experimental fast breeder station near Arco, Idaho, which initially produced about 100 kW.

Related Topics:
December 20 - 1951 - EBR-I - Arco, Idaho

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In 1952 a report by the Paley Commission (The President's Materials Policy Commission) for President Harry Truman made a "relatively pessimistic" assessment of nuclear power, and and called for "aggressive research in the whole field of solar energy". http://www.ieer.org/reports/npd.html

Related Topics:
Paley Commission - Harry Truman

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A December 1953 speech by President Dwight Eisenhower, "Atoms for Peace", set the US on a course of strong government support for the international use of nuclear power.

Related Topics:
Dwight Eisenhower - Atoms for Peace

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Early years

On June 27, 1954, the world's first nuclear power plant that generated electricity for commercial use was officially connected to the Soviet power grid at Obninsk, USSR. The reactor was graphite moderated, water cooled and had a capacity of 5 megawatts (MW). The second reactor for commercial purposes (1956) was Calder Hall in Sellafield, England, a gas-cooled reactor with a capacity of 45 MW. The Shippingport Reactor (Pennsylvania, 1957), a pressurised-water reactor, was the first commercial nuclear generator to become operational in the United States.

Related Topics:
June 27 - 1954 - Soviet - Power grid - Obninsk - USSR - Calder Hall - Sellafield - England - Shippingport Reactor - Pennsylvania - United States

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In 1954, the chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (forerunner of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission) famously declared that nuclear power would be "too cheap to meter" http://www.cns-snc.ca/media/toocheap/toocheap.html and foresaw 1000 nuclear plants on line in the USA by the year 2000.

Related Topics:
United States Atomic Energy Commission - Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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In 1955 the United Nations' "First Geneva Conference", then the world's largest gathering of scientists and engineers, met to explore the technology. In 1957 EURATOM was launched alongside the European Economic Community (the latter is now the European Union). The same year also saw the launch of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Related Topics:
United Nations - EURATOM - European Economic Community - European Union - International Atomic Energy Agency

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Thanks to the presence of the nearby Bettis Laboratory and the Shippingport power plant, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania became the world's first nuclear powered city in 1960.

Related Topics:
Bettis Laboratory - Shippingport - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 1960

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Development

Installed nuclear capacity initially rose relatively quickly, rising from less than 1 gigawatt (GW) in 1960 to 100GW in the late 1970s, and 300GW in the late 1980s. Since the late 1980s capacity has risen much more slowly, reaching 366GW in 2005, primarily due to Chinese expansion of nuclear power. Between around 1970 and 1990, more than 50GW of capacity was under construction (peaking at over 150GW in the late 70s and early 80s) - currently around 25GW of capacity is planned. More than two-thirds of all nuclear plants ordered after January 1970 were eventually cancelled.http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC48/Documents/gc48inf-4_ftn3.pdf

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Rising economic costs (related to vastly extended construction times) and falling fossil fuel prices gradually made nuclear power less economically competitive during the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1980s (US) and 1990s (Europe), electricity liberalization also played a part in increasing the financial risks of investing in nuclear power.

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A popular movement against nuclear power also gained strength in the Western world, based on the fear of a possible nuclear accident and on fears of latent radiation. These fears, the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island and the 1986 Chernobyl accident played a key part in stopping new plant construction in many countries. Austria (1978), Sweden (1980) and Italy (1987) voted in referendums to oppose or phase out nuclear power, while opposition in Ireland prevented a nuclear programme there.

Related Topics:
Nuclear accident - Radiation - 1979 - Three Mile Island - 1986 - Chernobyl accident - Austria - Sweden - Italy

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However nuclear power still continued in many other countries, notably France, Japan, the former USSR and recently China. The U.S. is planning new plants (see Current and Planned Use below).

Related Topics:
France - Japan - USSR - China - U.S.

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