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Nuclear explained  

U.S. nuclear statistics

Data as of the end of 2021, except where noted.

Total operable nuclear reactors 93
Nuclear total annual net electricity generation 778,188 million kilowatthours
Nuclear percentage of total annual electricity generation 18.9%
Nuclear net summer electricity generation capacity 95.55 million kilowatts
Nuclear share of total U.S. utility-scale electricity net summer generation capacity 8.3% (net summer capacity)
Nuclear average annual capacity factor 92.7%
Largest nuclear power plant Palo Verde (has three nuclear reactors) 3,937 megawatts
Number of states with operating commercial nuclear power plants 28
Uranium expenditures $72.5 million
Uranium concentrate (U3O8) production 21,000 pounds
Average price for purchased uranium concentrate U3O8 $33.91 per pound U3O8
Fuel cost: nuclear vs. fossil steam 0.61 cents/kilowatthour vs. 2.46 cents/kilowatthour

World nuclear statistics

Data for 2020.

Total world nuclear electricity generation 2,591 billion kWh
Nuclear percentage share of total world electricity generation 10.1%
Number of countries with nuclear power reactors 33
Top five nuclear electricity generating countries Total annual nuclear electricity generation in billion kilowatthours (BkWh) Nuclear share of total national annual electricity generation
United States 789.88 BkWh 19.5%
France 379.50 BkWh 68.5%
China 366.30 BkWh 4.8%
Russia 215.75 BkWh 21.0%
South Korea 152.33 BkWh 27.7%
  Share of total world nuclear electricity generation
United States 29.9%
France 14.4%
China 13.9%
Russia 8.2%
South Korea 5.9%

Last updated: November 18, 2022, with most recent data available at the time of update.

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