Abstract
Nuclear power remains a contentious political issue for low carbon energy transitions. Globally
there are 453 operating nuclear reactors, providing nearly 400,000 MW of net installed electricity
capacity, with 55 reactors currently under construction 1. Nuclear energy is expected to expand
globally. The International Energy Agency’s 2018 World Energy Outlook reports the ‘New Policies
Scenario’ for installed nuclear capacity growth of 25% from 2016 (about 414 GWe) to 2040 (about 518
GWe). The IEA’s WEO New Policies Scenario expects about $1.1 trillion of investment in nuclear power
by 2040 (and increase in nuclear energy production of 46%), though this is heavily concentrated in
East Asia (93% of the net production increase accounted for by two countries: China and India)
there are 453 operating nuclear reactors, providing nearly 400,000 MW of net installed electricity
capacity, with 55 reactors currently under construction 1. Nuclear energy is expected to expand
globally. The International Energy Agency’s 2018 World Energy Outlook reports the ‘New Policies
Scenario’ for installed nuclear capacity growth of 25% from 2016 (about 414 GWe) to 2040 (about 518
GWe). The IEA’s WEO New Policies Scenario expects about $1.1 trillion of investment in nuclear power
by 2040 (and increase in nuclear energy production of 46%), though this is heavily concentrated in
East Asia (93% of the net production increase accounted for by two countries: China and India)
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | European Commission – Council of Europe |
| Commissioning body | European research and training programme 2014-2018 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 |