Reversals and returns to grace of nuclear power in the world

The world's nuclear production generates 10% of the electricity and some countries such as China and Russia have launched new projects, but many challenges remain to be overcome, including the management of radioactive waste.

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At a time when Germany is turning the page on nuclear power, other countries are interested in this energy, citing energy needs and seeing it as a climatic asset, but this renewed interest has yet to materialize. State of the art of the use of the atom in the world. Post-Fukushima slowdown.

Nuclear energy currently generates 10% of the world’s electricity in 31 countries (excluding Germany), according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The atom experienced a setback with the accident at the Fukushima plant in Japan in 2011. Germany and Switzerland then decided to abandon it, more or less gradually, while China slowed down its huge program. Italy had voted for a nuclear phase-out by referendum in 1987 after Chernobyl. Globally, the world has gone from 441 operating reactors in 2002, its maximum, to 422 by the end of 2022, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Total nuclear production returned to its highest level in 2021, but the future is uncertain: the fleet is ageing and the number of projects launched each year – 10 in 2022, half of which are in China – is far from the pace of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1976 alone, 44 constructions were launched.

Historical Champions

The United States remains the leading civilian nuclear power, with 92 reactors. Their average age is increasing (42 years) and only two are under construction. But Joe Biden believes in reaching 100% “clean” electricity by 2035 and the government intends to support the sector. France, with 56 reactors (average age 37 years), remains the most nuclearized country per capita. After deciding to reduce the size of its fleet, it is now moving towards a new program of six or even 14 reactors, the first of which will be commissioned by 2035-2037.

In the meantime, the national electricity company EDF will have to complete its new generation EPR reactor in Normandy, which is 12 years behind schedule. Great Britain, another pioneer, has nine reactors, many of which are nearing the end of their lives. It plans to build eight by 2050, but the only plant under construction, Hinkley Point C, has seen its costs soar.

Two major active countries

Today, the real super-actives in civil nuclear power are China at home and Russia for export. In the last three years, of the 25 construction sites launched worldwide (first concrete pour of the reactor), all are either in China or outside China but carried by the Russian industry, analyses the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR), a report by independent experts based on public data.

China has been inaugurating more and more units and now surpasses France with 57. Mixing Russian, French, American and Canadian technologies, it is however limited to national projects, or with Pakistan. On the other hand, Russia dominates the international market, with 25 reactors under construction: 5 in Russia and 20 in other countries (Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Slovakia and Turkey). These sites were started in the years 2000, 2015 or 2018, the Egyptian in 2022. “What is new is the arrival of countries that until now had no nuclear power: Bangladesh, Egypt…”, notes Mycle Schneider, lead author of WNISR, who sees this as a Russian strategy to “create long-term interdependencies”.

Renewed interest, to be concretized

Against the backdrop of the energy crisis, linked in part to the war in Ukraine, other countries are expressing renewed interest in the atom. Belgium, which chose in 2003 to stop using nuclear power, wants to extend two reactors by ten years. Japan itself has started thinking about the possible construction of new reactors, but the task of restarting even the existing reactors is complicated and public opinion is reluctant.

For Poland, the Czech Republic or India, it is a question of reducing their dependence on coal. Others, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, have expressed an interest in nuclear power.

In this context, the IAEA has raised its projections in 2022 for the second year in a row, anticipating a more than doubling of the world’s installed nuclear capacity by 2050. But “to achieve this, many challenges must be overcome,” the Agency adds, citing “regulatory and industrial harmonization” and the need for “progress in the management of high-level radioactive waste.

Because of its cost and risks, countries as far away as New Zealand remain resolutely against nuclear power. And these differences are reflected within the European Union, in the heated debates in Brussels on support for this energy.

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SE Ignalina, the Lithuanian nuclear operator, has signed a memorandum of understanding with French firm Newcleo to explore the integration of small modular reactors (SMRs) using lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) technology in Lithuania.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi oversaw the signing of new agreements for the construction of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant, thus strengthening the strategic cooperation between Egypt and Russia.
Vistra Corp receives green light to extend Perry nuclear plant operations in Ohio by 20 years, securing regional electricity supply until 2046 and ensuring operational continuity for all its nuclear reactors in the United States.
EDF will hold a 12.5% stake in the Sizewell C nuclear project in the UK, a €1.3 billion investment announced during Emmanuel Macron’s official visit to London, confirming the strategic nuclear energy alignment between the two countries.
The French Cigéo project, designed to bury the most hazardous radioactive waste deep underground, obtains a crucial technical validation before its final authorization, expected by the end of 2027.
EDF confirms the continuation of its industrial project in Fessenheim for recycling very low-level radioactive metals, a first in France requiring specific regulatory authorizations, following a public debate concluded last February.
NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. formalizes its collaboration with UrAmerica Ltd. to strengthen Argentina’s uranium supply, aiming to secure future nuclear fuel supply chains for the U.S. market.
American companies SHINE Technologies and Standard Nuclear partner to recycle uranium and plutonium, supplying advanced fuel to the nuclear reactor sector and enhancing the national energy security of the United States.
The American Bureau of Shipping and two nuclear sector companies are studying the potential deployment of floating nuclear power plants to meet the energy needs of island and coastal regions in the Mediterranean, notably via electricity and desalination.
Lithuania establishes a working group tasked with assessing the feasibility of modular nuclear reactors to meet electricity demand estimated at 74 TWh by 2050.
Framatome has secured two significant contracts from Electrabel covering modernisation and technical support for the Tihange 3 and Doel 4 nuclear reactors, as part of their extension agreed upon between Engie and the Belgian government.
Cairo is stepping up connection works for the planned 4,800 MW El-Dabaa nuclear plant, developed with Rosatom, to feed the grid from 2026 with output equal to about seven % of national electricity.
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Fortum announce partnership aimed at preparing for the potential deployment of small modular reactors in Finland and Sweden, with commissioning scheduled for the 2030s.
Energy Fuels Inc. announced record production of 638,700 pounds of uranium during the second quarter of 2025 at its Pinyon Plain mine in Arizona, significantly surpassing initial site performance forecasts.
Argentina and Peru have signed an agreement expanding their scientific and technological cooperation in the civil nuclear field, including joint research projects and specialised training programmes for future development.
After several decades without funding nuclear projects, the World Bank has formed a strategic partnership with the IAEA to provide technical and financial support to countries integrating nuclear energy into their energy strategies.
South Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission officially validates the decommissioning of reactor number one at the Kori plant, initiating an unprecedented project for the national industry scheduled to last until 2037.
Uranium producer enCore Energy surpasses three thousand pounds per day at its Alta Mesa ISR complex and sees three new Texas laws as a strong signal for faster nuclear production permits.
The International Atomic Energy Agency expresses concerns over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles following the abrupt suspension of inspections at key sites disrupted by recent attacks whose consequences remain uncertain.