Nuclear’s role in decarbonizing major economies continues to be hindered by aging infrastructure, unrealized plans, and high costs, while solar and wind are expanding rapidly and outpacing nuclear in new capacity and generation, according to a new report from Global Energy Monitor.
Data in the Global Nuclear Energy Tracker show 566 gigawatts (GW), or nearly 40%, of all nuclear capacity ever proposed around the globe has been cancelled, more than what is currently operational (401 GW) or retired (116 GW) combined.
Europe’s nuclear sector has lost 122 GW of planned capacity to cancellations, more than the operating nuclear fleet of any single country. An additional 68 GW has been retired, and 90% of the remaining reactors are more than 35 years old.
At the same time, renewables deployment continues to accelerate. Data in the Global Integrated Power Tracker indicate that over 600 GW of wind and utility-scale solar capacity is in pre-construction or construction stages in Europe.
This is fourteen times the 9.3 GW of new nuclear capacity under construction, most of which is intended to replace retiring units rather than expand total capacity.
Much of this renewables capacity is expected to be operational well before new nuclear projects, due to typical renewable project lead times typically ranging from one to four years compared to a decade or more for nuclear.
This mismatch in timelines poses a critical challenge for climate goals: with only a narrow window remaining to limit warming to 1.5-2°C, nuclear’s protracted development cycles and cancellation risks leave it poorly positioned to contribute meaningfully within the required timeframe.
Joe Bernardi, Project Manager of the Global Nuclear Power Tracker at Global Energy Monitor, said, “Nuclear power lags behind wind and solar on cost, construction time, and market growth. Hinkley Point C in the United Kingdom, still years from completion, illustrates the lengthy build cycles typical of new reactors. Comparable delays in France and Finland reinforce this pattern. Meanwhile, nuclear development is minimal across most of Europe, while wind and solar continue to expand quickly with lower costs and shorter lead times.”
