Nuclear power
Atomic claims
nuclear power is part of energy industry.
nuclear power is part of nuclear program.
nuclear power is part of sustainable energy.
nuclear power is part of alternative energy.
nuclear power is a subclass of technology.
nuclear power is a subclass of energy source.
nuclear power is a subclass of nuclear technology.
nuclear power is an instance of energy production.
nuclear power is an instance of industry.
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity.
Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions.
Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants.
Nuclear decay processes are used in niche applications such as radioisotope thermoelectric generators in some space probes such as Voyager 2.
Reactors producing controlled fusion power have been operated since 1958 but have yet to generate net power and are not expected to be commercially available in the near future.
The first nuclear power plant was built in the 1950s.
The global installed nuclear capacity grew to 100 GW in the late 1970s, and then expanded during the 1980s, reaching 300 GW by 1990.
The 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the United States and the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union resulted in increased regulation and public opposition to nuclear power plants.
Nuclear power plants supplied 2,602 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2023, equivalent to about 9% of global electricity generation, and were the second largest low-carbon power source after hydroelectricity.
As of November 2025, there are 416 civilian fission reactors in the world, with overall capacity of 376 GW, 63 under construction and 87 planned, with a combined capacity of 66 GW and 84 GW, respectively.
External references: Wikidata Q12739