Investing in Energy: A Primer on the Economics of the Energy Industry

Nuclear Power in the United States

The United States is the first and largest user of nuclear-based electricity generation. Nuclear technology was developed in 1942 by physicists led by Dr. Enrico Fermi at The University of Chicago. The first controlled nuclear chain reaction took place in an experiment conducted in a facility under the football stadium's bleachers. The breakthrough ushered in the nuclear age. Table 17.1 depicts the largest users of nuclear power generation by country. The United States, France, and Japan are the largest consumers of nuclear power generation.

Table 17.1 Nuclear Power Generation by Country (billion kilowatthours)

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

In 1957, the first nuclear power plant was ...