The number of nuclear power plants is set to increase with construction underway in 69 units around the world which will add a total of 74,925 megawatts of capacity upon completion.
Globally, a total of 419 nuclear units with a combined capacity of 396,484 megawatts continues to generate electricity, according to data from think tank Global Energy Monitor (GEM).
There are 30 units under construction in China, 7 in India, 6 in Iran, and 4 each in Egypt and Türkiye.
The remaining 18 units are being built in Bangladesh, Brazil, France, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, and the UK.
In addition to the 69 units that are currently under construction, a further 92 units are in the pre-construction stages and construction is planned for 178 units.
– US leads in installed nuke capacity
As of July, the US leads in active nuclear energy capacity with 102,475 megawatts, followed by France with 64,040 megawatts and China with 58,134 megawatts.
Currently, 94 units are operational in the US, while China has 58 active units. A total of 56 units are located in France, followed by 36 units in Russia, 26 in South Korea, 20 in India and 19 in Canada.
In the global nuclear energy market, the US, France and China hold a 26%, 16% and 15% share, respectively. Nuclear capacity in Russia and South Korea each make up 7% of the global combined capacity while Canada holds 4%.
These reactors contribute to approximately 10% of the world’s electricity demand.
Global nuclear energy capacity increased by 1,188 megawatts in 2020, 8,286 megawatts in 2021, 7,961 megawatts in 2022, and 11,673 megawatts in 2023. As of July this year, the increase in capacity was recorded at 10,459 megawatts.
Meanwhile, decommissioned nuclear capacity was 5,441 megawatts in 2020, 9,298 megawatts in 2021, 3,860 megawatts in 2022, and 6,331 megawatts in 2023. This year, as of July, 1,000 megawatts of nuclear capacity have been taken offline.
– Türkiye ranks among top 5 in unit construction
According to GEM, China leads in unit construction capacity with 33,904 megawatts, followed by Iran with 6,357 megawatts, India with 5,900 megawatts, and Egypt and Türkiye with 4,800 megawatts individually.
In June, Alparslan Bayraktar, Türkiye’s minister of energy and natural resources, said that construction continues simultaneously on all four units at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, the country’s first planned nuclear power plant.
Türkiye aims to commission all four units by 2028, with one unit going online each year.
‘We aim to start testing the first unit this year,’ Bayraktar said.
Once fully operational, the plant will meet 10% of the country’s electric consumption and prevent 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas imports annually.
