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the recession after 1973, led to cancellation of many orders. The figure
of 117 nuclear plant cancellations in the US since 1973 is often quoted.
However, it should be noted that sixty-three coal-fired plant projects
were also cancelled during the same period. The problem was not so much
nuclear as electricity demand forecasts being revised and the future
generating capacity adapted to those lower demands which were the result
of the recession.
Nuclear power is progressing rapidly in the world. From the end of
the Second World War to the operation of the first large light water
reactor it took only 12 years and only 12 years after that was the first
commercial nuclear power station in operation. In 1970 the world nuclear
power capacity was 16 '000 MW. In 1975 it was 72 000 MW. In 1980 about
135 000 MW and in 1986 it was 274000 MW. By the end of July this year,
there were 407 nuclear power plants in operation in 26 countries.
16% of
the world's electricity is now produced by nuclear power plants. That is
no small quantity even though it constitutes only 4.2% of all the energy
which is consumed. One would need a Saudi Arabian oil production of 1982
in order to generate this electricity with oil or an American coal
production in order to generate it with coal. The sheer momentum of
construction has meant that, during last year, 23 new nuclear plants came
on line and, during the first seven months of this year, 11 plants were
started. These figures have not been influenced by the Chernobyl
accident.
Several new orders have been placed for nuclear plants after
the accident, namely, in France, Japan, the Republic of Korea and in the
U.K.
And here in China, construction has started on the two nuclear
power units at Dhaya Bay.
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