The trend of shutting down aging nuclear power plants is not limited to countries like Japan and Germany. It is coming to the United States too. Many of the nuclear reactors in use around the world have become too mechanically awkward with age to continue to operate reliably. Beyond a certain point, it is too dangerous and expensive to upgrade their designs in place. They will have to start shutting down one by one.
Even if there were no problems of aging and mechanical breakdown, the world’s nuclear fuel shortage will become acute within 15 years. If more nuclear power plants shut down now, the coming nuclear fuel crisis might be postponed by as much as a year.
