STAT 220 Portfolio 4

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy comes from energy release of the nucleus of atoms with protons and neutrons. This occurs in two different ways: fission–splitting apart– and fusion–coming together. Nuclear power plants are typically fueled by uranium-235.Most uranium is produced from Kazakhstan, Canada, and Namibia, as amounts are concentrated in provided mining sites (World Nuclear Association). Nuclear power plants require massive quantities of water to cool the reactors during the process; Nuclear power plants tend to be situated next to water sources: rivers, lakes, and oceans. To take advantage of the emitted steam, turbines help produce low-carbon electricity (Galindo 2025).

Case Study: Japan

Japan is among the nations of the world regarding nuclear power, and not for good reason.The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear incident was caused by tsunami waves as a result of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, toppling sea walls and causing loss of power to plant cooling systems (NIH 2014). Japan has 21 other nuclear power plants with various statuses of operation. These 22 power plants host a total of 62 nuclear reactors.

Types of Nuclear Reactors Used

The plot presented below shows the type of reactor and the date that construction began. The two primary types of reactors are BWR and PWR. Most reactors were built between 1965 and 1990, and PWR reactors were more popular during that time period. Note that just one reactor had been built for the FBR, GCR, and HWLWR types, evident due to their low capacity in megawatts per hour. It does seem that reactor capacity in megawatts per hour has increased over time, but I would say that BWR reactors have the upper hand here.

Where are Japan’s nuclear power plants?

Below is a map of the 22 different nuclear power plants in Japan. Japan has constructed all of its nuclear power plants next to the ocean, as the highly mountainous country does not have many broad rivers.

Works Cited

Galindo, A. (2025). What is Nuclear Energy? The Science of Nuclear Power. International Atomic Energy Center. https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-is-nuclear-energy-the-science-of-nuclear-power Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants. (n.d.). National Library of Medicine. Retrieved https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK253923/#:~:text=The%20March%2011%2C%202011%2C%20Great,released%20hydrogen%20and%20radioactive%20materials. Nuclear power in Japan. (n.d.). In WikipediA. Retrieved https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_Japan Uranium Mining Production. (2026, January 20). World Nuclear Association. https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/mining-of-uranium/world-uranium-mining-production