What is Nuclear energy policy?
[[File:Chernobyl-4 and the Memorial 2009-001.jpg|thumb|300px|Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant reactor number 4, the enclosing sarcophagus and the memorial monument, 2009.]] [[File:Atom-Moratorium.svg|thumb|300px |Eight German nuclear power reactors (Biblis A and B, Brunsbuettel, Isar 1, Kruemmel, Neckarwestheim 1, Philippsburg 1 and Unterweser) were permanently shutdown on 6 August 2011, following the Japanese [[Fukushima nuclear disaster]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iaea.org/programmes/a2/ |title=Power Reactor Information System |author=IAEA |date=2011 }}</ref>]] '''Nuclear energy policy''' is a national and international [[policy]] concerning some or all aspects of [[nuclear energy]], such as [[mining]] for [[nuclear fuel]], extraction and processing of nuclear fuel from the ore, [[electricity generation]] by [[nuclear power]], enriching and storing spent nuclear fuel and nuclear fuel reprocessing. Since nuclear energy and [[nuclear weapon]]s technologies are closely related, [[military]] aspirations can act as a factor in energy policy decisions. The fear of [[nuclear proliferation]] influences some international nuclear energy policies. The use of nuclear energy is limited to a relatively small number of countries in the world. As of 2007, only 31 countries, or 16% of the 191 [[United Nations]] Member States, operated nuclear power plants.<ref>[http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/topics/dokbin/206/206749.pdf The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327101853/http://www.greens-efa.org/cms/topics/dokbin/206/206749.pdf |date=2009-03-27 }} p. 6.</ref> Countries that rely most on nuclear energy were [[France]] (with 75% of its electricity generated by nuclear power stations), [[Lithuania]], [[Belgium]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Slovakia]] and [[Sweden]], [[Ukraine]] and [[South Korea]]. The largest producer of nuclear capacity was the [[USA]] with 28% of worldwide capacity, followed by France (18%) and Japan (12%). In 2000, there were 438 commercial nuclear generating