page_title: Nuclear power
section_title: Recent developments
hierarchical_section_title: Nuclear power / Recent developments
caption_attribution_description: English: NRC Image of PWR Reactor Vessel Heads
context_page_description: Nuclear power is the controlled use of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is energy in 'fissionable' elements like uranium that can be released by nuclear reactions in a machine called a nuclear reactor. This energy is made into electricity, which then can be used to power machines and heat homes. In 2007, 14% of the world's electricity came from nuclear power. Nuclear power plants also make radioactive waste that could be harmful if it is not stored properly.
  People have also been studying since the middle 20th century to use fusion power which produces much more energy and doesn't produce radioactive waste. Nuclear fusion reactors don't exist yet and are still being developed.
context_section_description: In 2007, nuclear power plants made some 2600 TWh of electricity and provided 14 percent of the electricity used in the world, which represented a fall of 2 per cent compared with 2006. As of May 9, 2010, there were 438 (372 GW) nuclear reactors operating globally. A peak was reached in 2002 when there were 444 nuclear reactors operating.
  The nuclear emergencies at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and other nuclear facilities raised questions about the future of nuclear power. Platts has said that "the crisis at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plants has prompted leading energy-consuming countries to review the safety of their existing reactors and cast doubt on the speed and scale of planned expansions around the world". Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the International Energy Agency halved its estimate of additional nuclear generating capacity to be built by 2035.
caption: Pressurized water vessel heads
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