59 New Nuclear Reactors Being Built in the World

Nuclear energy is once again the center of attention, because countries all over the world want to complement their “energy mixes” with renewable energy sources as soon as possible, in the time of uncertainty regarding fuel supply, especially natural gas, due to the war in Ukraine.

It seems that the nuclear lobby has never been more active than now in the 21st century. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, a decade followed during which the operations of nuclear power plants in the world were either reduced or stopped. However, the recent pressure to switch to clean energy sources and said crisis in Europe are reviving the industry in several large countries which are building new reactors, whereas others are relaunching or expanding old ones.

According to the data of the World Nuclear Association, as of July this year, the leading country when it comes to nuclear capacities that are being built is China, and 59 new reactors are being built at the moment worldwide.

At the moment, China is building 21 new nuclear reactors, among which is the first modular reactor for commercial use, which has been mentioned a lot in Serbia too as one of the options in the past two years. The total capacity of Chinese new reactors will be 23,511 MW.

India is second, with eight new reactors, whereas Turkey is third with four. They are followed by South Korea and Russia with three each. However, the two new British reactors will have a larger total installed power than the three Russian ones.

Americans, Saudis and Japanese are also building two new nuclear reactors each.

How many nuclear reactors are currently in function?

Around 440 nuclear reactors operate in the world, producing close to 10% of the consumed electrical energy in the world per year. Their capacity is around 390 GW and they are located in 32 countries.

The majority are located in the USA, as many as 93, with a total capacity of 95,523 MW. The French are in the second place with 56 reactors with a total capacity of 61,370 MW. They are followed by China with 53 reactors, Russia with 37 and Japan with 33, but in this country, only three reactors have been operational since the incident in Fukushima.

In the USA, 93 reactors produce more than 30% of the global nuclear energy, that is, more than any other nation. In France, nuclear power plants are the main source of energy, making up 70% of the national annual production of electrical energy.

The Chinese nuclear industry has spread fast in the past decade. The number of reactors in China jumped from 13 in 2010 to 53 in 2021, accompanied by a roughly fivefold increase in the capacities of nuclear production.

China’s reliance on nuclear energy grows along with the country’s economy moving away from coal. With 21 reactors under construction, China should expand its nuclear capacity by over 40% before 2030, and among other things, it is also building the world’s first commercial small modular reactor, whose capacity will be able to supply over 500,000 households a year, as written by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and reported by Visual Capitalist.

In the distant second place is India, with eight reactors under construction, which will soon double the country’s production capacity. While all reactors nowadays are powered by uranium, India has an ambitious plan to develop a reactor running of thorium, so as to use its enormous resources of thorium, a non-fission radioactive material with the potential to be used as a nuclear fuel.

In the meantime, Turkey is building four reactors, including its first operating reactor, which is expected to be put into operation in 2023.

World Nuclear Association

International Atomic Energy Agency

IAEA

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