World Nuclear Power Reactors & Uranium Requirements

1 December 2015

Note: This is an archived table. The latest version is available here.

Sources:
Reactor data: WNA to 1/12/15 (excluding nine shut-down German units) 
IAEA for nuclear electricity production & percentage of electricity (% e) April 2015.
WNA: Global Nuclear Fuel Market report Sept 2013 (reference scenario 2015) – for U.  66,883 tU = 78,875 t U₃O₈

Operable = Connected to the grid;
Under Construction = first concrete for reactor poured, or major refurbishment under way;
Planned = Approvals, funding or major commitment in place, mostly expected in operation within 8-10 years;
Proposed = Specific program or site proposals, expected operation mostly within 15 years.

New plants coming on line are largely balanced by old plants being retired. Over 1996-2013, 66 reactors were retired as 71 started operation. There are no firm projections for retirements over the period covered by this Table, but WNA estimates that at least 60 of those now operating will close by 2030, most being small plants. The 2013 WNA Market Report reference scenario (Table 2.5) has 74 reactors closing by 2030, and 272 new ones coming on line (figures exclude closed Japanese reactors).

TWh = Terawatt-hours (billion kilowatt-hours), MWe = Megawatt (electrical as distinct from thermal), kWh = kilowatt-hour.

** The world total includes six reactors operating on Taiwan with a combined capacity of 4927 MWe, which generated a total of 40.8 billion kWh in 2014 (accounting for 18.9% of Taiwan's total electricity generation). Taiwan has two reactors under construction with a combined capacity of 2700 MWe. It was expected to require 972 tU in 2015.