World Nuclear Industry Status Report reveals global nuclear energy retreat

Today, international nuclear expert Mycle Schneider released the 2014 World Nuclear Industry Status Report. The report places special emphasis on the global effects of Japanese reactor shutdowns, following the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi triple meltdown. The WNISR report has tracked global nuclear energy trends for twenty years.

Friends of the Earth Nuclear campaigner Katherine Fuchs issued the following statement about the 2014 report:

Post-Fukushima and amid falling prices for renewable energy, the global decline of nuclear power comes as no surprise. In the U.S., the planned “nuclear renaissance” has fizzled and existing reactors are clamoring for bailouts to continue operating. The U.S. nuclear industry has experienced a period of record decline recently with four reactors closing since 2013, and two more already slated for shutdown by 2019. As cleaner and cheaper renewable energy sources gain market share and problems mount at aging reactors, it becomes increasingly obvious that nuclear  power is a diversion from real solutions for avoiding climate catastrophe.

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Expert Contact: Katherine Fuchs, (202) 222-0723, [email protected]
Communications Contact: Kate Colwell, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]