British Prime Minister Tony Blair put nuclear power back on the agenda on Tuesday when he launched a review of energy policy, pledging a decision on how to fill a looming energy gap by the middle of next year.
Attitudes to nuclear power vary widely across the globe. Germany and Sweden are continuing to phase it out while China plans 30 new reactors by 2020.
BRITAIN - Nuclear supplies about 20 percent of the country's electricity. All but one of the UK's ageing nuclear power stations are due to close by the mid 2020s.
GERMANY - The new coalition government will continue the gradual decommissioning of nuclear power stations by 2020. Nuclear supplies nearly a third of the country's power.
FRANCE - Relies on nuclear power for 80 percent of its electricity. No new plants have been built since 1993 but France plans to build a 1,600 megawatt European pressurised reactor which will open in 2012.
FINLAND - Is building a fifth nuclear reactor which will start in 2008. There is industry pressure for a sixth to be built.
SWEDEN - Voted in a referendum in 1980 to close its 12 nuclear power stations. The Barseback nuclear plant has been shut in two stages.
UNITED STATES - Incentives for new nuclear power stations in the new energy bill. Generators are in line to get $3.1 billion in tax credits to build new nuclear power stations. The industry has been virtually frozen since the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, the worst such accident in US history.
CHINA - Plans to build 30 new nuclear reactors by 2020 to meet its booming energy demand. It has nine reactors producing around 2.3 percent of its power but aims to raise nuclear to four percent within 15 years.
JAPAN - Japan is the world's third largest nuclear generator after the United States and France. Nuclear supplies about 30 percent of its power. The government plans to raise this to 40 percent by building five new power stations by 2010.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
