Nuclear and security of supply for busy people

Myth: Nuclear is not reliable #

Fact: The reliability of an energy source can be measured by the capacity factor. It is a measure of what percentage of the time an energy source would produce energy during the year if it ran non-stop. A capacity factor of 100% means that an energy source produces electricity all the time throughout the year.

The global capacity factor for nuclear power was in the year 2021 at 82.4% [1]. It continued the trend since 2000. Regionally, it can be made even higher. For 20 years, the USA has maintained an average capacity factor close to 90%. For 2021 at 92.7% [2]. The highest of all energy sources in the United States [3].

Myth: The capacity factor decreases with the age of a nuclear power plant #

Fact: The experience of many nuclear power plants shows that the capacity factor is often high and stable over their entire lifetime. There has been a steady improvement in reactor performance over the past 50 years. The improvement in the average global capacity factor has been achieved in reactors of all ages, not just new reactors of more advanced design. There is no age-related decline in the performance of nuclear reactors.

Read more about: How long can a nuclear power plant run

Myth: French nuclear was saved by Germany in 2022 #

Fact: Even in the exceptional year 2022: France was a net importer of electricity [4].

However, it is correct that in 2022 the purple bar does not point downwards as usual, but upwards instead. France was therefore not a net electricity exporter as usual in 2022, but an importer instead, i.e., it imported more electricity than it exported.

So does the purple bar in Fig. 1 represent the electricity imports that Germany allegedly delivered to save France’s power supply? Well, it isn’t. It is the balance of all of the French electricity imports and exports. Yes, that’s right, France not only imported electricity, but also exported it, on balance to Switzerland and Italy.

Read more here [5].

Sources #

1. World-Nuclear-Performance-Report-2022.pdf.aspx
2. Electric Power Monthly – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
3. Nuclear Power is the Most Reliable Energy Source and It’s Not Even Close | Department of Energy
4. https://www.energy-charts.info/?l=de&c=DE
5. Did Germany save France’s power supply? | NukleariaNuklearia