Ambient office = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 160 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 161 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 122 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     The World Nuclear Industry Status Reports (WNISR) also emphasizes the underestimated hidden costs association with nuclear power, including decommissioning expenses and liabilities for accidents. Germany, Italy, and Lithuania are all phasing out the use of nuclear power. Decommissioning costs in these three countries were estimated to be orders of magnitude higher than international estimates. In the meantime, the Japanese government estimated the cost of the 2011 Fukushima accidents at an astonishing two hundred and twenty-three billion dollars.
     Nuclear finances are even more alarming when they are compared with renewable energy sources. Renewable energy investments continue to outpace nuclear power investments. Total investments in non-hydro renewable electricity capacity reached four hundred and ninety-five billion dollars in 2022. This is fourteen times the investment in the construction of nuclear plants. Wind and Solar facilities alone generated twenty-eight percent more electricity than their nuclear counterparts. They account for eight percent of global electricity generation as compared with nuclear’s nine percent.
     In terms of levelized cost of energy (LEOE), the report indicates that nuclear power can be nearly four-times the LCOE of onshore wind power at a discount rate of ten percent. With rapidly declining firming costs, they have a combined cost of forty-five to one hundred and forty dollars per megawatt-hour. (Energy firming is how operators guarantee the output from variable and intermittent power sources, such as solar and wind, for a committed period of time.) This can be compared to new nuclear power costs at a mean of one hundred and eighty dollars per megawatt-hour.
     The global nuclear industry confronts an uncertain future. In addition, there are concerning new developments in the industrial sector. In the report, one nation stood out for going against the current as it continues to dominate the global nuclear market – Russia.
     While China leads the world in the domestic number of reactors under construction with twenty-three projects, Russia dominates the international market with twenty-four reactors under construction. This includes nineteen Russia reactors being constructed in other countries. Russia has also developed new technology, notably the first and only floating nuclear power plant in the world. However, according to the report, construction delays plague many Russian nuclear projects. 
    In addition, both Russia and China have been connected to recent revelations about cyberattacks on Sellafield which is a nuclear site located on the Cumbrian coast in the U.K., by groups with close ties to the two nations. The investigation has raised global concern about the state of cybersecurity for nuclear sites.
     The report also notes that Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) have not seen significant progress in the past year. There are no SMRs under construction in the western world. The most advanced SMR project in the U.S. involved the NuScale company. It was terminated in November of 2023 due to a seventy five percent increase in the cost estimate in just four years. Canada plans to construct four SMRs in Ontario. It is claimed that they will contribute eleven billion dollars to Canada’s gross domestic product.
     In conclusion, the WNISR details a sobering picture for the global nuclear power industry as it grapples with economic challenges, national policy shifts and the dominance of renewable energy alternatives. As the world transitions towards clearer and cheaper viable energy sources, nuclear power is being left behind.
     Despite these problems, recent announcements at the COP28 summit demonstrate that the nuclear industry is trying hard to remedy the situation.  Canada, France, Japan and UK backed the global nuclear supply chain, planning investments to improve uranium enrichment and conversion capacity. U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry launched an international engagement plan to advance nuclear fusion. He said the technology will be critical to the energy transition.
     There have also been new developments in international cooperation with the U.K. and the U.S. signing a collaboration agreement to develop nuclear fusion technology. The U.S. and South Korea agreed to strengthen their cooperation on civil nuclear power. This includes large-scale, small-scale and advanced reactors, decommissioning and waste management, and supply chains.

Ambient office = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 98 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Tomato from Central Market = 66 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 102 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 89 nanosieverts per hour

Part 1 of 2 Parts
     The global nuclear industry is facing serious problems as production hits its lowest point in four decades and economic pressures rise.
     The World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) has outlined the severe challenges faced by the global nuclear power sector in recent years. The report covers developments up to mid-2023. It highlights a significant decline in nuclear energy production. The percentage of global electricity generated by nuclear power has reached its lowest point in forty years. This decline is attributed to a combination of factors. These include national policy shifts, economic pressures, and the rapid growth of renewable energy alternatives.
     The WNISR points out that global nuclear power generation experienced a significant four percent decline, reaching a level not seen since the mid-1990s. The decrease outside of China was even more pronounced. With a five percent decrease, the global nuclear energy share of commercial gross electricity generation in 2022 fell to just nine percent. This is the most substantial drop since the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, a record low in the past forty years. It is notable that this share is now just above half of its peak of seventeen and half percent in 1996.
     Several major nuclear-producing countries faced similar challenges in 2022 and mid-2023. This contributed to the overall losses on the global nuclear landscape.
     In the U.S., the nuclear share of commercial electricity generation fell to eighteen percent, the lowest level in twenty-five years. In France, nuclear generation fell below its 1990 level. This resulted in France changing to a net importer of electricity for the first time since 1980. However, Frances appears to be motivated to rectify this situation. It recently led a group of twenty countries to declare that they intended to triple nuclear energy capacity from 2020 to 2050 at COP28 in Dubai.
     Belgium has closed two nuclear power reactors, one in 2022 and the other in 2023. Three more reactors are scheduled to be closed by 2025. Germany closed the last of its three operating reactors in mid-April of 2023. This completed its nuclear phase-out policy begun in 2011.
     The report mentions that the number of closed nuclear power reactors reached two hundred and twelve units as of mid-2023. Twenty-two were fully decommissioned and eleven were released from regulatory control. The report indicates that there are four hundred and seven nuclear power reactors with a total capacity of three hundred and sixty-five gigawatts operating worldwide. This represents a decrease of four reactors compared with the previous year and thirty-one units below the peak observed in 2002.
     Nuclear power faces increasing economic challenges. Lazard modeling indicates that, at discount rates over five and a half percent, nuclear power becomes the most expensive electricity generator in terms of the levelized cost of energy (LEOE).
     National developments of major nuclear power producing countries reflect this reality. The report highlights the massive governmental subsidies in the U.S. State-level taxpayer-funded subsidies are estimated to exceed fifteen billion dollars by 2030. The U.K. is currently operating only nine nuclear power reactors. The cost for the two reactors being constructed at Hinkley Point has soared to forty-four billion dollars. Grid connection for the new reactors has been delayed until June of 2027. South Korea’s state-owned utility, KEPCO, recently accumulated a record loss of twenty-five billion dollars, with a thirty two percent rise in net debt to one hundred and forty-nine billion dollars.
Please read Part 2 next

Ambient office = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 94 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 94 nanosieverts per hour

Roma tomato from Central Market = 111 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 115 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office = 74 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 134 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 134 nanosieverts per hour

Red bell pepper from Central Market = 129 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 119 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 108 nanosieverts per hour