Global Energy Monitor has launched a new tool for tracking the worldwide energy landscape, the Global Nuclear Power Tracker (GNPT). The global dataset of nuclear facilities includes 1,012 power plant units of all capacities across 45 countries.
Documenting 396 gigawatts (GW) of operating nuclear capacity and 266 GW of nuclear power capacity announced, in pre-construction, or under construction, the new tracker catalogs nuclear plants of a variety of technology types, including pressurized water reactors, boiling water reactors, fast breeder reactors, and others.
The top five countries by operating nuclear power capacity are:
- United States (99,975 MW)
- France (64,040 MW)
- China (58,264 MW)
- Russia (29,576 MW)
- South Korea (25,602 MW)
The GNPT documents how the two largest countries by current operating capacity - the United States and France - also rank among the top five worldwide for capacity mothballed or retired. The gradual phase out of nuclear power in these countries is made even more evident as neither France or the U.S. makes the top five for prospective capacity.
The top five countries by prospective (announced, in pre-construction, or under construction) nuclear power capacity are:
- China (116,330 MW)
- India (32,100 MW)
- Russia (29,055 MW)
- Türkiye (14,434 MW)
- Poland (9,600 MW)
China has been growing its nuclear fleet substantially in recent years, and this growth is projected to continue. With 46 GW, China has accounted for 58% of the world’s 78 GW of new nuclear additions during the last ten years. The GNPT also documents how China is far and away the country with the largest amount of prospective capacity in the world.
Assessing the role of nuclear power in the clean energy transition will continue to be crucial in the coming years. The Global Nuclear Power Tracker will be a tremendous asset in that evaluation. Joe Bernardi, Project Manager for the Global Nuclear Power Tracker
