Nuclear Power

Nuclear power is the generation of electricity from heat produced by controlled nuclear fission, primarily in thermal reactors fueled by enriched uranium, where atomic nuclei split to release energy that boils water into steam to drive turbines.[1][2]Commercial operations began in the 1950s, with the first in the United States achieving full power in 1957 at Shippingport, Pennsylvania.[3]As of recent data, nuclear power provides about 9% of global electricity from approximately 440 operable reactors across 31 countries, serving as a major low-carbon energy source amid debates over safety, radioactive waste management, high capital costs, and proliferation risks.[4]Key technologies includepressurized water reactors (PWRs), which dominate the fleet by maintaining water under pressure to transfer heat without boiling in the core, alongside boiling water reactors (BWRs) and evolving designs like small modular reactors aimed at improving economics and flexibility.[1]Despite incidents like Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) highlighting safety vulnerabilities, advancements in reactor design, regulatory oversight, and fuel cycles continue to address waste disposal—where spent fuel requires long-term geological storage—and economic viability, positioning nuclear power as a dispatchable complement to intermittent renewables in decarbonization strategies.[5]