France topped the list of countries relying on nuclear power, with around 69% of the country’s electricity generation based on the energy source, data from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) showed.
Nuclear power also made up more than half of the electricity mix last year in Ukraine (55%), Slovakia (52.3%) and Belgium (50.8%).
Germany’s nuclear share is the lowest of the list, last year hitting just below 12% of total electricity generation. Its share has gradually fallen ever since the country decided to phase out its reactors in 2000.
It’s worth noting that the EU Parliament voted in favor of EU rules that would determine investments in nuclear and certain gas projects as sustainable and green.
This will likely pass into law, as it would take 20 out of the EU’s 27 member states to reject the move. The new law would come into action from 2023.
Discussions have reignited, however, in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showing the EU’s vulnerability to global market fluctuations. On the one hand, supporters argue that nuclear energy is carbon free and could help fill an imminent energy gap, while on the other, critics are concerned about the energy source’s radioactive byproduct being difficult to dispose of.
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Countries Most Reliant on Nuclear Power |
||
|
Order |
Country |
% of Total Power Generation in 2020 |
|
01 |
France |
69% |
|
02 |
Ukraine |
55% |
|
03 |
Slovakia |
52.3% |
|
04 |
Belgium |
50.8% |
|
05 |
Hungary |
46.8% |
|
06 |
Finland |
32.8% |
|
07 |
Sweden |
30.8% |
|
08 |
Switzerland |
28.8% |
|
09 |
UK |
14.8% |
|
10 |
Germany |
11.9% |
Source: Statista
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