Just like other sources of energy for electricity, nuclear power stations need fuel. The supply chain for uranium fuel assemblies is long and complex. There are not a lot of companies/countries that can supply nuclear fuel.
I have made it clear in many posts that I do not think that nuclear power is appropriate for massive generation of commercial electricity. There are many reasons for my opinion that I have detailed over the past two years. That is not to say that there are not appropriate uses for nuclear materials. A large number of medical diagnostic and therapy procedures depend on radioactive isotopes. There are many industrial applications as well.
I recently posted a blog article about how the Russians were working on floating nuclear reactors on a barge. They are going to use them in ports, remote areas near a coast and in the Arctic to supply power to oil drilling rigs.
I have blogged recently about problems with the U.K. Hinkley Point C project to build two nuclear reactors. The French utility EDF is involved and the new reactors will be European Pressurized Reactors constructed by the French company, AREVA. There are questions about the integrity of the reactor design.
Ukraine seems to be a place where many of the issues of nuclear power and nuclear weapons converge. Since Russia annexed the Crimea in 2014, they have been ratcheting up the rhetoric about a possible military confrontation with NATO. Russian officials have commented that Russia could overcome NATO conventional forces with superior tactical nuclear weapons.
I have mentioned in previous posts the Saudi interest in acquiring nuclear weapons if it appears that Iran is working on building its own nuclear arsenal.
