The first nuclear reactors were used to generate plutonium for nuclear weapons. Nuclear reactors are essentially large kettles that boil water. Uranium and plutonium fission (splitting of the atom) generates heat which is used to create steam to drive a turbine.

After being removed from the reactor and cooled, spent nuclear fuel can be treated to recover plutonium through what is called reprocessing. Reprocessing creates more radioactive wastes and involves dissolving spent fuel in acid and separating three streams: uranium, plutonium, and high-level nuclear waste.

The uranium can be reused as reactor fuel. The plutonium can be used as power reactor fuel (in MOX or fast neutron reactors) or it can be used in nuclear weapons.

As of 2007, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported there are 435 nuclear power reactors operating in the world in 31 different countries. However, there are 44 countries that have either nuclear power plants or research reactors, profiled on our nuclear map and listed below.*

Several nations have used their civil nuclear operations to develop weapons capability, including India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Some nuclear weapons are made with highly enriched uranium, which can be made from materials that do not require irradiation in a nuclear reactor.

Since it involves the separation of plutonium, reprocessing is regarded as a 'sensitive' nuclear technology in relation to weapons proliferation. The countries that have commercial reprocessing plants include UK, France, USA, Russian Federation, Japan, and India.

Countries with military plutonium separation sites include USA, Russian Federation, UK, France, China, India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea.

* Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, USA and Vietnam.

The Calvert Reactor, USA

Chernobyl, Ukraine, 1986