Nuclear power plants generated 2,653 TWh of electricity last year, accounting for 9.8% of global generation, says the annual World Nuclear Industry Status Report.

The US accounted for the largest share, followed by China. As of mid-2022, some 411 reactors were operating in 33 countries, four less than a year earlier and 27 below a 2002 peak of 438. The slow pace of new projects coming onstream has meant the average age of reactors is around 21 years old, notes the report. Out of 53 reactors under construction currently, at least half of the projects are delayed. Five new units became operational in the first half of this year, while eight closed last year.

Global investment in new nuclear construction projects was around $24bn, accounting for 6.5% of total investment of $366bn in non-hydro renewables projects. Nuclear power is also losing ground to renewables in terms of cost as reactors are increasingly seen as less economical and slower to build, suggests the study.

The levelised cost of energy fell to $36/MWh last year for solar PV from $359/MWh in 2009, while the cost for wind fell to $38/MWh from $135/MWh, according to the report. Nuclear power costs rose by 36% to $167/MWh, up from $123/MWh in 2009.

EDF update
Meanwhile, EDF has provided an update on its entire UK nuclear generation business and has announced plans to invest $1bn in the UK nuclear fleet over the 2023–2025 period. The company has also said that the case to extend generation at the Hartlepool and Heysham 1 power stations (2.2 GW) beyond the current estimated end date of March 2024 will be reviewed in the coming months, ‘with an ambition to generate longer if possible’.

Over the longer term, EDF says it is committed to playing its part in the UK government’s goal of expanding nuclear capacity up to 24 GW by 2050, holding major interests in four of the eight designated sites for development – Hinkley Point, Sizewell, Hartlepool and Heysham. The company also plans to invest around $40mn in training its nuclear workforce.

EDF and its partners are to invest £26bn to construct Hinkley Point C, a 3.2 GW power station that will supply 7% of the UK’s electricity. Advanced plans are in place for a facility at Sizewell C in Suffolk, and EDF is pursuing a 20-year extension of Sizewell B out to 2055.

Site of UK’s first fusion energy plant
In other news, West Burton power station in Nottinghamshire has been selected as the home for STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant.

The West Burton site was originally only a reserve site for an initial group of five shortlisted in October 2021 by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), which carries out fusion energy research on behalf of the UK government.

The UK government is providing £220mn of funding for the first phase of STEP which will see the UKAEA produce a concept design by 2024. The next phase of work will include detailed engineering design, while relevant permissions and consents to build the prototype are sought. The aim is to have a fully evolved design and approval to build by 2032, enabling construction to begin, with operations targeted to begin around 2040.

The site currently houses two power plants – West Burton A is a coal-fired power plant, which was commissioned in 1966, and West Burton B is a combined cycle gas turbine power plant, commissioned in 2013. West Burton A is owned and operated by EDF Energy, while West Burton B is owned and operated by EIG.