Nuclear power plants operate in 32 countries and generate about a tenth of the world's electricity.[2] Most are in Europe, North America and East Asia. The United States is the largest producer of nuclear power, while France has the largest share of electricity generated by nuclear power, at about 70%.[3]

Nations based on nuclear output as a percentage of national power output
Timeline of commissioned and decommissioned nuclear capacity since the 1950s.[1] Positive numbers show the commissioned capacity for each year; negative numbers show the decommissioned capacity for each year.
Global status of nuclear deployment as of April 2023
  Operating reactors, building new reactors
  Operating reactors, planning new build
  No reactors, building new reactors
  No reactors, planning new build
  Operating reactors, stable
  Operating but may phase-out
  Civil nuclear power is illegal
  No reactors
Nuclear power plants in Europe (including decommissioned nuclear power plants)[clarification needed]

Some countries operated nuclear reactors in the past but have no operating nuclear power plants at present. Among them, Italy closed all of its nuclear stations by 1990 and nuclear power has since been discontinued because of the 1987 referendums. Kazakhstan phased out nuclear power in 1999 but is planning to reintroduce it possibly by 2035 under referendum.[4] Germany operated nuclear plants since 1960 until the completion of its phaseout policy in 2023. Austria (Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant) and the Philippines (Bataan Nuclear Power Plant) never started to use their first nuclear plants that were completely built.

Sweden and Belgium originally had phase-out policies however they have now moved away from their original plans. The Philippines relaunched their nuclear programme on February 28, 2022 and may try to operate the 1984 mothballed Bataan Plant.[5][6]

As of 2020, Poland was in advanced planning phase for 1.5 GW and planned to have up to 9 GW by 2040.[7] Hong Kong has no nuclear power plants within its boundary, but imports 80% of the electricity generated from Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station located across the border, in which the power company of the territory holds stake.[8][9] In 2021, Iraq declared it was planning to build 8 nuclear reactors by 2030 to supply up to 25% electric power in a grid that was suffering from shortages.[10]

Overview

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Of the 32 countries in which nuclear power plants operate, only France, Slovakia, Ukraine and Belgium use them as the source for a majority of the country's electricity supply as of 2021. Other countries have significant amounts of nuclear power generation capacity. By far the largest nuclear electricity producers are the United States with 779,186 GWh of nuclear electricity in 2023, followed by China with 406,484 GWh.[2] As of the end of 2023, 418 reactors with a net capacity of 371,540 MWe were operational, and 59 reactors with net capacity of 61,637 MWe were under construction.[11] Of the reactors under construction, 25 reactors with 26,301 MWe were in China and 7 reactors with a capacity of 5,398 MWe were in India.[12][failed verification]

Nuclear power by country in 2023[2]
Country Reactors Capacity
(MW)
Generation
(GWh)
%
total
Capacity
factor
In
use
Being
built
 World 403 59 364,480 2,552,067 9.11% 83.9%
  Argentina 3 1 1,641 8,963 6.3% 63.1%
  Armenia 1 0 416 2,512 31.1% 70.2%
  Bangladesh 0 2 2,160
  Belarus 2 0 2,220 10,997 28.6% 81%
  Belgium 6 0 4,916 31,289 41.2% 90.1% [a]
  Brazil 2 1 1,884 13,695 2.2% 82.7%
  Bulgaria 2 0 2,006 15,488 40.4% 87.7%
  Canada 19 0 13,699 83,465 13.7% 69.7%
  China 55 25 53,152 406,484 4.9% 89.8%
  Czech Republic 6 0 3,934 28,728 40.0% 83.9%
  Egypt 0 4 4,400
  Finland 5 0 4,394 32,759 42.0% 93.9%
  France 56 1 61,370 323,773 64.8% 67.3%
  Hungary 4 0 1,916 15,092 48.8% 90%
  India 23 11 8,180 47,971 3.1% 84.6%
  Iran 1 1 915 6,071 1.7% 75.3%
  Japan 33 2 31,679 77,539 5.6% 29.5% [b]
  Mexico 2 0 1,552 12,044 4.9% 90.2%
  Netherlands 1 0 482 3,771 3.4% 90.1%
  Pakistan 6 1 3,262 22,383 17.4% 84.5%
  Romania 2 0 1,300 10,312 18.9% 92.5%
  Russia 37 4 27,727 203,957 18.4% 83.1%
  Slovakia 5 1 2,308 17,005 61.3% 94%
  Slovenia 1 0 688 5,332 36.8% 87.8% [c]
  South Africa 2 0 1,854 8,154 4.4% 62%
  South Korea 26 2 25,825 171,640 31.5% 80.2%
  Spain 7 0 7,123 54,371 20.3% 89.8% [d]
  Sweden 6 0 6,944 46,648 28.6% 79.8%
  Switzerland 4 0 2,973 23,404 32.4% 91.1% [e]
  Taiwan 3 0 2,859 17,154 6.9% 94.1%
  Turkey 0 4 4,456
  Ukraine 15 2 13,107 81,126 55.0% 71% [f]
  United Arab Emirates 4 0 5,380 31,206 19.7% 91.2%
  United Kingdom 9 2 5,883 37,278 12.5% 73%
  United States 93 1 95,835 779,186 18.6% 94.1%

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Phase-out postponed
  2. ^ Many reactors stopped
  3. ^ One reactor (Krško Nuclear Power Plant) located within Slovenia is co-owned by and shared between Croatia and Slovenia.
  4. ^ Phase-out planned
  5. ^ Gradual phase-out planned
  6. ^ From 2021 before the Russian invasion

References

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  1. ^ "Operational & Long-Term Shutdown Reactors". IAEA. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Nuclear Share of Electricity Generation in 2023". IAEA. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Nuclear Power in France | French Nuclear Energy - World Nuclear Association". www.world-nuclear.org. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Kazakhstan chooses site for second NPP". Nuclear Engineering International. 9 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Philippines relaunches nuclear energy programme : Nuclear Policies - World Nuclear News".
  6. ^ "Sweden Reverses Nuclear Phase-out Policy".
  7. ^ Wilczek, Maria (16 June 2020). "Construction of Poland's first nuclear power plant to begin in 2026". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Hong Kong fallout from China's reckless nuclear ambitions".
  9. ^ "CLP to increase nuclear power imports 10pc".
  10. ^ "Iraq hopes to build 8 nuclear power reactors by 2030". Brecorder. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  11. ^ "PRIS - Reactor status reports - Under Construction - By Country". pris.iaea.org. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  12. ^ Nuclear Power Reactors in the World. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency. 2023. ISBN 978-92-0-137123-2.
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