Nuclear Takes Back Seat in United States, but Drives the Bus in China

Nuclear Takes Back Seat in United States, but Drives the Bus in China

Earlier this month, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested that the Indian Point nuclear facility should be shut down for good. The reactor had a transformer fire on May 9 that shut down part of the reactor, but also discharged thousands of gallons of oil into the Hudson River.

This is not an uncommon theme in the United States. As the above infographic shows, the vast majority of nuclear reactors have been steaming along for decades and are approaching their decommissioning date. With only four reactors under construction and just a handful of planned or proposed facilities, nuclear has now taken a backseat in the United States.

Across the Pacific Ocean, China is taking a different approach.

While the United States is looking to slow down the role of nuclear in its energy mix, China is boldly trying to build up its capacity by an additional 40 to 58 GW before 2020. This aggressiveness in building energy capacity is not only slotted for nuclear, but also in wind, hydro and coal.

Original graphic by: Scientific American