World Nuclear Power Reactors & Uranium Requirements

December 2023

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

Sources:

Reactor and electricity data: International Atomic Energy Agency Power Reactor Information System (PRIS); US Energy Information Administration; company data; World Nuclear Association estimates
World Nuclear Association, The Nuclear Fuel Report (published September 2023, reference scenario forecast) – for uranium requirements

Notes:

65,651 tU = 77,419 t U₃O₈

Operable = Connected to the grid.
Under Construction = First concrete for reactor poured.
Planned = Approvals, funding or commitment in place, mostly expected to be in operation within the next 15 years.
Proposed = Specific programme or site proposals; timing very uncertain.

* World figures include Taiwan, which generated a total of 22.9 TWh from nuclear in 2022 (accounting for 9.1% of Taiwan's total electricity generation). As of July 2023 the island has two operable reactors with a combined net capacity of 1874 MWe.

** International Energy Agency data for year 2020 (latest available).

† Under Construction figures include a number of units where construction is currently suspended: Ohma 1 and Shimane 3 (Japan); Khmelnitski 3&4 (Ukraine).

‡ Ukraine 2022 electricity generation estimated.

New plants coming online are largely balanced by old plants being retired. Over the past 20 years (2003-2022), 108 reactors were retired as 97 started operation. However, the reactors grid connected during this period were larger, on average, than those shutdown, so capacity increased by about 10 GW. The Reference Scenario in the 2023 edition of The Nuclear Fuel Report (Table 2.5) has 66 reactors closing by 2040, and 308 new ones coming online (figures include 31 Japanese reactors online by 2040).

TWh = terawatt hour (billion kilowatt hours); kWh = kilowatt hour; MWe = megawatt (electrical as distinct from thermal).