New Zealand is one of the few developed countries not using electricity (indigenous or imported) from nuclear energy. As hydroelectric potential was progressively utilized, nuclear power featured in national power plans from 1969 to 1976, but was not pursued.
New Zealand is one of the few developed countries in the world that does not have any nuclear reactors whatsoever. We do not have nuclear weapons, we do not have nuclear power and we do not even have research reactors, relying on Australia to provide medical isotopes.
New Zealand's opposition to nuclear weapons is rooted in the belief that the proliferation of such weapons of mass destruction does not reflect an attempt to preserve peace in the form of a nuclear deterrent. New Zealand's nuclear-free zone option looks to remove the nation from under the nuclear umbrella.
New Zealand is a nuclear-free zone, which means no nuclear weapons or nuclear powered ships are allowed in our territory. Find out how New Zealanders protested to make sure we were nuclear-free, and how incidents like the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior impacted on the nuclear-free movement.
Under the treaty, non-nuclear weapon states, including New Zealand, agreed never to acquire nuclear weapons. In return, the nuclear weapons states (China, France, Russia, the UK and US) agreed to eliminate their nuclear weapons and affirmed the right of all states to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
In February 1970 Australia signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), committing not to acquire nuclear weapons, and to adhere to strong non-proliferation obligations.
The answer is no, they are not assessed to be nuclear targets in the sense in which Senator Chipp asked his question.
As of 2022, Italy is the only country that has permanently closed all of its formerly functioning nuclear plants, with Germany phasing out the remaining 3 plants by the end of the year.
Fact #10: Antarctica and Australia are the only two continents not have any nuclear power stations, although Africa only has them in South Africa.
There are two U.S. military bases in N.Z. The largest is at Harewood Airport, Christchurch, where under the cover of the U.S. Antarctic Research Programme, the military maintains a general purpose Naval depot, an Air Force Military Airlift Command Base, and a Naval Communications Unit (part of which is situated at ...
The prospect of nuclear power in Australia has been a topic of public debate since the 1950s. While we have never had a nuclear power station, we do have 33% of the world's uranium deposits and we are the world's third largest producer of it.
The government has clearly set the course for massive wind and solar power expansion to fuel a future climate-neutral economy, and sees no need for nuclear power.
Canada has not officially maintained and possessed weapons of mass destruction since 1984 and, as of 1998, has signed treaties repudiating possession of them. Canada ratified the Geneva Protocol in 1930 and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1970.
The United States is the largest producer of nuclear power, while France has the largest share of electricity generated by nuclear power, at about 70%. China has the fastest growing nuclear power programme with 16 new reactors under construction, followed by India, which has 8 under construction.
The United States has the most operational nuclear reactors on the planet – 96. Together they have a capacity of 97,565 MW, and last year nuclear energy made up about 20% of the country's electricity generation. France is home to 58 nuclear reactors, which produce about 75% of the country's electricity.
Under the 1985 South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, Australia accepted a legal obligation never to acquire nuclear weapons or host them on its territory. Following the election of a Labor government this May, Australia began a reassessment of its position on the TPNW.
Under a plan announced by Belgium's coalition government in December last year, Doel 3 and Tihange 2 will be shut down in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The newer Doel 4 and Tihange 3 would be shut down by 2025, together with Doel units 1 and 2, which had their operating licences extended in 2014.
Japan's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) takes the current title of being the largest nuclear power plant in the world, boasting a net capacity of 7,965MW. About 220km away from the city's capital, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in the Niigata Prefecture has over seven boiling water reactors (BWR).
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to halt the use of nuclear power after the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011 and utility leaders have prepared for the closure of three remaining reactors by the end of 2022. They say constraints in sourcing fuel rods and expert staffing make keeping them open impossible.
France's current nuclear troubles are partly due to routine maintenance of the country's 56 reactors, half of which are about 40 years old. Each ageing reactor needs periodically to be shut down, on a rotating basis, for inspection. During the pandemic, scheduled maintenance was interrupted by lockdowns.
Germany until March 2011 obtained one-quarter of its electricity from nuclear energy, using 17 reactors. Just three reactors remain in operation as of October 2022, providing about 6% of the country's electricity, whilst over one-quarter of its electricity comes from coal, the majority of that from lignite.
Australia may be the best place in the world to shelter if nuclear war broke out, a study has predicted, although an "influx of refugees" from Asia and other regions would likely rush the country to try and survive the atomic holocaust.
"Certainly North Korean ICBMs could reach Australia, carrying nuclear warheads, but Pyongyang is unlikely to attack Australia," he said. "Their ICBMs are really there to deter or attack the United States.