Global nuclear generation continues to drop

Reports Sonnenseite-Franz Alt: "Annual generation of nuclear power has continued on a slight downward trend, decreasing 2% last year to 2558 TWh, according to the latest estimates. With some data yet to come in, estimates by the International Atomic Energy Agency see nuclear power last year meeting 13-14% of the world's electricity demand, which continues to increase rapidly in the developing world. One factor in nuclear power's perfomance since 2007 has been the prolonged shutdown of large reactors at Kashiwazaki Kariwa in Japan following the Niigata-Chuetsu-Oki earthquake. This, the largest nuclear power plant in the world, accounts for 2% of nuclear capacity and was completely out of action for many months. Two reactors came back into service during 2009 with five still under repair".