France Is Famous For Its Nuclear Power — This Is Where They Dump The Waste
Nuclear waste remains a problem with no easy solutions
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), France operates 58 active nuclear reactors that generate 71% of the country’s total electricity. That percentage is by far the highest in the world. The country that produces the second most nuclear power proportionally is Slovakia with just 53% of its power coming from atomic energy. France’s commitment to nuclear power is famous and it has allowed the nation to be largely free of petroleum politics.
With 58 reactors powering a nation of 67 million France has a growing problem on its hands. What are they to do with the nuclear waste? Nuclear waste has long been the primary problem with nuclear power. Nuclear waste is dangerous, poorly understood by the public and it can last for decades or even centuries. Finding suitable places to dispose of nuclear waste is a major challenge, especially in democracies. Voters rarely consent to having nuclear waste dumped or buried near their homes.
So what does France do with all of the nuclear waste it produces? It recycles a vast majority of it into new fuel for the hungry reactors and the rest of it is sitting and waiting for someone to come up with a solution to the decades-old…
