Nuclear energy industry deals with the activities of producing nuclear energy through the process of fusion, fission or radioactivity. Nuclear energy is actually a form of energy stored in the nucleus of an atom.
Some major activities related to nuclear energy industry
Nuclear energy industry deals with the activities like life cycle emission analysis, transportation, building new nuclear plants, nuclear plant licensing, designing new reactors, looking for operational safety, personnel training, looking for plant security etc.
Present market potentiality and advantages of nuclear energy industry
Nuclear energy industry is producing 20 percent of U.S. electricity and 30% of European Union electricity. The major advantage of nuclear power energy is that it can produce a large amount of affordable electricity with long-term price stability and no ill-effect of greenhouse gases.
Global nuclear energy industry
Statistical data reveal that during the year 2004, nuclear power provided 6.5% of world's total energy and 15.7% of the world's electricity. The three leading nuclear energy providers are United States, France and Japan. They together provide 57% of total nuclear energy provided by other nuclear energy producers of the world.
Policies
Nuclear energy policy differs from country to country. Some European Union countries have no active nuclear power station, whereas countries like France have a large number of nuclear plants. Nuclear energy industry enforces policies against the impact of nuclear energy on the environment although it is true that nuclear power plants generate less pollutants in comparison to other related power industry.
Fields of nuclear energy industry with their advantages
- Electric power generation: Nuclear energy industry provides 20% of America's overall electricity. In leading nuclear energy producing countries, nuclear energy is producing a major share of total electric power of that country.
- Plant fuel: Nuclear power plants do not normally burn any fuel like other energy production process
- Medicine and scientific research: Nuclear energy industry also produces nuclear medicines.
- Protection of food: Nuclear energy can be utilized to preserve the varieties of food and protect crops from insects.