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Nuclear power made up less than 3% of new generating capacity added in 2017
A total of 7 GW of new nuclear generating capacity was added to the world’s electricity grids in 2017 and the first half of 2018 – less then 3% of total new capacity added – and global nuclear power generation has declined for the third year in a row in every region apart from China. So say the headline findings of the independently produced World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2018 (WNISR).
The report contrasts the level of nuclear capacity added over the last one-and-a-half years with the total net power generating capacity added in 2017 alone: 257 GW of new power, 157 GW of which was renewable in nature. Global nuclear energy output increased by 1% in 2017 (due to China); and the report compares this to the 35% increase in solar power and the 17% increase in wind power over the same period.
The report uses data from the Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) database compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency. This is the same data used in the World Nuclear Association’s annual report (see Energy World September), but WNISR’s authors treat the data differently to highlight that China is the only country in the world showing a growth in nuclear power generation.
The report shows that over the 18 months preceding June 2018, six reactors started up in China, two in Russia and one in Pakistan. It says that the number of units under construction worldwide has declined for the fifth year in a row, from 68 reactors under construction at the end of 2013 to 50 by mid-2018, 16 of which were in China. But it also highlights that construction on new reactors started in two new countries for the first time – Bangladesh and Turkey.
WNISR says that around two thirds of global nuclear builds are currently behind schedule, including half of the Chinese projects.Mycle Schneider, WNISR‘s Convening Lead Author and Publisher, said: ‘China continues to dominate the developments in the nuclear sector due to decisions taken years ago. However, with no new construction on a commercial nuclear plant in China since December 2016 how long can China be the exception?’
WNISR also highlights that the current global nuclear fleet has a mean age of 30 years and that 60% of reactors have operated for 31 or more years. The report also says that only 19 of 173 reactors that have been closed have been decommissioned, and only 10 of these sites have been returned to ‘green field’ status, meaning they are available for other uses.
