28 March 2023

Who Has Nuclear Power, Nuclear Weapon, And Nuclear Powered Watercraft?

Countries with nuclear power but not nuclear weapons (by number of nuclear power plants):
  • Argentina 3
  • Armenia 1
  • Belgium 7
  • Brazil 2 - it is in the process of constructing one nuclear powered submarine.
  • Bulgaria 2
  • Canada 19
  • Czech Republic 6
  • Finland 4
  • Germany 9 - it had a nuclear powered merchant ship from 1968-1979.
  • Hungary 4
  • Iran 1
  • Japan 48 - it had a nuclear powered merchant ship (which never actually carried commercial cargo) from 1970-1992.
  • South Korea 23
  • Mexico 2
  • Netherlands 1
  • Romania 2
  • Slovakia 4
  • Slovenia 1
  • South Africa 2
  • Spain 7
  • Sweden 10
  • Switzerland 5
  • Taiwan 6
  • Ukraine 15
Australia will imminently have an undetermined number of nuclear powered submarines, but not nuclear power plants. 

See generally here regarding nuclear powered submarines and here regarding other nuclear powered vessels.

Countries with nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants with number of operational nuclear power plants shown:
  • China 56 (also has sixteen nuclear powered submarines with two more under development of which seven carry nuclear weapons)
  • France 56 (also has nine nuclear powered submarines with one more under development and one retired, four of which carry nuclear weapons, and one nuclear powered aircraft carrier with one retired)
  • India 22 (also has two nuclear powered submarines which both carry nuclear weapons with five more under development and two retired)
  • Pakistan 6
  • Russia 37 (also has twenty-nine nuclear powered submarines with many dozens retired of which 6 carry nuclear weapons, one nuclear powered battle cruiser with two retired and one undergoing a refit, one nuclear powered merchant ship, and seven operational nuclear powered icebreaker ships with five retired). Russia/USSR also formerly had a nuclear powered naval command and control ship but it has been retired. Russia is currently developing a nuclear powered and nuclear armed unmanned underwater vehicle. Russia is the sole successor to the USSR's nuclear weapons.
  • United Kingdom 9 (also has ten nuclear powered submarines with an undetermined number under development and many retired, four of which carry nuclear weapons)
  • United States 92 (also has sixty-seven nuclear powered submarines and many retired, and is developing a new class of nuclear powered submarines (14 of which carrier nuclear missiles and 4 more of which were designed to do so but no longer do so), and eleven nuclear powered aircraft carriers and has retired one nuclear powered aircraft carrier; it formerly had nuclear powered navy cruisers from 1961-1999, all six of them have been retired. It had a nuclear powered merchant ship from 1962-1972).
Countries with nuclear weapons but not nuclear power plants or nuclear powered vessels:
  • Israel 
  • North Korea 
Analysis

Nuclear Powered Surface Ships

Three of the four nuclear merchant ships ever built, and six nuclear powered U.S. naval cruisers were retired due to high operating costs.

Russia is the only country in the world with civilian nuclear powered ships - one merchant ship and seven ice breakers.

Russia (with one operational nuclear powered battlecruiser), the United States (with eleven nuclear powered aircraft carriers), and France (with one nuclear powered aircraft carrier) are the only countries in the world to have nuclear powered warships.

Nuclear Powered Submarines And Nuclear Weapons

China (16-7), France (9-4), India (2-2), Russia (29-6), the U.K. (10-4), and the U.S. (67-14) are the only countries with nuclear powered naval submarines, although Brazil and Australia will soon join those ranks with nuclear powered naval submarines that do not have nuclear weapons. 

There are a total of 37 nuclear powered submarines from six countries that carry nuclear weapons in the world - Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel have nuclear weapons but not nuclear powered submarines that carry nuclear weapons.

China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. have nuclear power and nuclear weapons, while Israel and North Korea have nuclear weapons but not nuclear power. The number of warheads for each of these nine nuclear armed countries is as follows:


Belarus, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and Ukraine formerly had nuclear weapons. 

Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey are NATO "nuclear weapons sharing" states. 

Countries With Nuclear Power Only

Argentina, Armenia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Ukraine have nuclear power but don't currently have nuclear weapons or nuclear vessels.

Countries With Some Nuclear Technology Outside Of Europe:

North America: Canada, United States.

Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.

East Asia: China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan.

South Asia: India and Pakistan.

West and Southwest Asia: Iran and Israel.

Africa: South Africa. 

Other:

There are no other applications other than scientific research for which nuclear fusion or nuclear fission other than natural radioactive decay are used than those described above. 

Natural radioactive decay of certain atomic isotopes is used in small scale medicinal and imaging applications, in smoke detectors, in atomic clocks, and as a form of "nuclear battery" for various applications.

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