While ELECTRICITY in the U.S. is 20% Nuclear, France relies on NUCLEAR energy to power 80% of its total country's electricity needs !Electricite De France (...not listed in the U.S. but trades publicly in France on the Paris Stock Exchange with a $100 Billion marketcap...), manages all 59 nuclear power plants in the country and is France's largest electricity generation and distribution company. 'EDF' was founded/formed by the government in 1946 and then made public nearly 50 years later as a limited liability company in 2004. Per year end 2007 company filings, France's government still owned a majority 85% stake in the energy company. According to Wikipedia, Electricite De France'a grasp is far-reaching and not just restricted to France..in 2003 the company produced about 22% of the total electricity consumed by the European Union (The EU).
* Anecdotally thinking, I'm not the biggest fan of nuke energy because I'm STILL not convinced We (as a PEOPLE) have found ourselves a safe, clean, fea$ible and repeatable way to permanently dispose of its RadioActive WASTE (by-products of the process used to create/generate nuclear energy). FYI, reading Wiki's entry below did NOTHING to assuage my recently coined condition of 'nuke nervousness' :
With that being said, clearly the NUKE story has some traction and fundamentals in its favor..and not just record high Crude Oil prices (although that is HUGE). Nuclear energy is THE cleanest burning major alternative fuel. According to the June 2008 issue of The Economist, "Nuclear reactors are the One PROVEN way to make carbon dioxide-FREE electricity in large and reliable quantities that does not depend (as hydroelectric and geothermal energy do) on the luck of the geographical draw."
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* Also, just for the record + in another concerted effort to mention something else unique/notable about France's economy, France is the #1 Tourist destination in the WORLD. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), France entertained 82 million unique tourists in 2007. The 2nd and 3rd most popular international tourist destinations were Spain (60 million) and the U.S. (50 million).
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* FYI, COAL is the Largest source of Electricity for the United States, fueling about 50% of the country's total power needs. Per my 6/25/08 post titled 'U.S. Electricity Consumption By Source' :
1. COAL -- 50.0%
2. NATURAL GAS -- 20.3%
3. NUCLEAR -- 20.1%
4. HYDROELECTRICITY -- 6.0%
5. OIL (PETROLEUM) -- 3.6%
Data Courtesy: The Economist, Wikipedia and The UNWTO
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