Nuclear power phase-out

Eight German nuclear power reactors (sBiblis A and B, Brunsbüttel, Isar 1, Krümmel, Neckarwestheim 1, Philippsburg 1 and Unterweser) were permanently shut down on 6 August 2011, following the Japanese Fukushima nuclear disaster.[1]

A nuclear power phase-out is the discontinuation of usage of nuclear power for energy production. Often initiated because of concerns about nuclear power, phase-outs usually include shutting down nuclear power plants and looking towards fossil fuels and renewable energy. Three nuclear accidents have influenced the discontinuation of nuclear power: the 1979 Three Mile Island partial nuclear meltdown in the United States, the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the USSR (now Ukraine), and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

As of 2023, only two countries have permanently closed all of their formerly functioning nuclear plants: Italy by 1990, and Germany by 2023. Lithuania and Kazakhstan have shut down their only nuclear plants, but plan to build new ones to replace them, while Armenia shut down its only nuclear plant but subsequently restarted it. Austria never used its first nuclear plant that was completely built. Cuba, Libya, North Korea and Poland never completed the construction of their first nuclear plants due to financial, political and technical reasons. Spain and Switzerland plan nuclear phase-outs.[2][3][4][5]

Nuclear shut-downs after Fukushima have significantly set back emissions reductions goals in several countries. A 2019 study of the impacts of the German and Japan closures concludes that by continuing to operate their nuclear plants "these two countries could have prevented 28,000 air pollution-induced deaths and 2400 Mt CO2 emissions between 2011 and 2017. By sharply reducing nuclear instead of coal and gas after Fukushima, both countries lost the chance to prevent very large amounts of air pollution-induced deaths and CO2 emissions".[6]

Several countries formerly opposed to opening nuclear programs or planning phaseouts have reversed course in recent years due to climate concerns and energy independence including Belgium,[7] the Philippines,[8] Greece,[9] Sweden[10] and South Korea.[11]

Timeline of commissioned and decommissioned nuclear capacity since the 1950s[12]
  1. ^ IAEA (2011). "Power Reactor Information System – Highlights". (subscription required)
  2. ^ Duroyan Fertl (5 June 2011). "Germany: Nuclear power to be phased out by 2022". Green Left.
  3. ^ Erika Simpson and Ian Fairlie, Dealing with nuclear waste is so difficult that phasing out nuclear power would be the best option, Lfpress, 26 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Difference Engine: The nuke that might have been". The Economist. 11 November 2013.
  5. ^ Kanter, James (25 May 2011). "Switzerland Decides on Nuclear Phase-Out". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Kharecha, Pushker A.; Sato, Makiko (1 September 2019). "Implications of energy and CO2 emission changes in Japan and Germany after the Fukushima accident". Energy Policy. 132: 647–653. Bibcode:2019EnPol.132..647K. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2019.05.057. S2CID 197781857.
  7. ^ Strauss, Marine (7 March 2022). "Belgian Greens make U-turn to consider nuclear plants extension". Reuters.
  8. ^ "Philippines approves revival of nuclear power to help replace coal". Reuters. 3 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Greece, Bulgaria in talks for nuclear power supply deal". energypress.eu.
  10. ^ "New Swedish government seeks expansion of nuclear energy". World Nuclear News. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  11. ^ "New energy policy reverses Korea's nuclear phase-out". World Nuclear News. 5 July 2022.
  12. ^ "The Database on Nuclear Power Reactors". IAEA.