No other form of energy has caused such significant displacement of populations.

Nuclear energy benefits from the very high energy density of uranium, which limits the footprint of nuclear power plants and uranium mines. The number of people displaced by the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters remains much lower than those moved due to coal mines or large dam projects.

When we look at the different methods for producing electricity, we generally come across graphs showing that nuclear energy is one of the sources leading to the fewest deaths per unit of energy produced [7]. Some say that, while the nuclear power industry has caused few deaths in its history, no other form of energy has caused such massive displacement of populations.

A real field of study

The subject of population displacement due to large industrial projects is widely studied in the scientific literature. Displaced populations are generally referred to as Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement (DIDR) in general cases, or Mining-Induced Displacement and Resettlement (MIDR) in the mining sector.

An energy that benefits from its density

Due to the high energy density of uranium, population displacements related to ore mining and the construction of nuclear power plants are very limited. The main population displacements caused by the nuclear industry are due to the two major disasters of Chernobyl and Fukushima. These catastrophes caused the permanent displacement of 200,000 people at Chernobyl, according to the IAEA (the estimates from various organizations range from 116,000 to 400,000 people) [2], and 40,000 people at Fukushima [1].

The impacts of coal and hydraulic power are much greater

In reality, it is dams and mines that cause the greatest number of displaced people. Take, for example, Three Gorges Dam in China (22.5 GW), which required the displacement of 1.3 million people (low estimate) [6]. As for the mining sector, coal is certainly representative of this phenomenon, especially in Europe, where lignite mining caused the displacement of 120,000 people in Germany and the destruction of 300 villages [4]. Asia is strongly affected by this phenomenon. In the Chinese province of Shanxi, the displacement of 2.3 million people was recorded out of a population of just 35 million [5]. And in India, nearly 1.7 million displaced people were recorded between 1950 and 1990 alone [3].