Britain took an early lead in developing nuclear power. By the mid-1950s, several nuclear reactors were producing electricity in that country. The first nuclear reactor to be connected to an electricity distribution network in the United States began operation in 1957 at Shippingport, Pennsylvania.
Six years later, the first order was placed for a commercial nuclear power plant to be built without a direct subsidy from the federal government. This order marked the beginning of an attempt to convert rapidly the world’s electricity-generating systems from reliance on fossil fuels to reliance on nuclear energy.
By 1970, 90 nuclear power plants were operating in 15 countries. In 1980, 253 nuclear power plants were operating in 22 countries, and by 2001 there were 435 nuclear plants operating in 33 countries. Despite this increase, the attempt to move from fossil fuels to nuclear energy faltered because of rapidly increasing costs, regulatory delays, declining demand for electricity, and a heightened concern for safety.
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