Number of nuclear sites worldwide under projected aridity risk 2021
According to a climate scenario realized in 2021, 30 of the future nuclear sites worldwide would be exposed to an aridity risk if the climate policies tackling global warming are not adhered to.
In the current study, the aridity risk consists of one to five consecutive dry months per year, endangering the water cooling process of nuclear power plants because of reduced water availability. If drought is combined with heatwaves, nuclear site outages due to adverse weather conditions would occur, failing to provide energy to an already vulnerable share of the population exposed to extremely high temperatures. This is the case for seven nuclear sites in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, where the hottest temperatures can be over 40 degrees Celsius. Other nuclear sites under aridity risk are located in Europe (11), China (four), Russia (three), and in the United States (two).
In the current study, the aridity risk consists of one to five consecutive dry months per year, endangering the water cooling process of nuclear power plants because of reduced water availability. If drought is combined with heatwaves, nuclear site outages due to adverse weather conditions would occur, failing to provide energy to an already vulnerable share of the population exposed to extremely high temperatures. This is the case for seven nuclear sites in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, where the hottest temperatures can be over 40 degrees Celsius. Other nuclear sites under aridity risk are located in Europe (11), China (four), Russia (three), and in the United States (two).
