Construction of 69 nuclear power plants continues worldwide, 4 in Türkiye

The number of nuclear power plants is set to rise globally with 69 units currently under construction, projected to add a total of 74,925 megawatts (MW) of capacity upon completion, according to the latest data from think tank Global Energy Monitor (GEM).

US leads global nuclear capacity

As of July, the United States leads in installed nuclear energy capacity with 102,475 MW, followed by France with 64,040 MW and China with 58,134 MW.

The U.S. holds 26% of the global nuclear energy market, with France and China holding 16% and 15% respectively. Russia and South Korea each account for 7% of global capacity, while Canada holds 4%.

Currently, the U.S. operates 94 nuclear units, China has 58 active units, and France has 56. Other significant contributors include Russia with 36 units, South Korea with 26, India with 20, and Canada with 19.

Globally, 419 nuclear units are operational, providing a combined capacity of 396,484 MW. These reactors contribute approximately 10% of the world’s electricity demand.

Global nuclear construction activity

China is leading in nuclear construction with 30 units currently being built, followed by India with 7 units, Iran with 6, and Egypt and Türkiye each with 4 units under construction.

The remaining 18 units are being constructed in countries including Bangladesh, Brazil, France, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, and the UK.

In addition to the 69 units under construction, a further 92 units are in pre-construction stages, and plans are in place for the construction of 178 more units worldwide.

Türkiye’s nuclear ambitions

Türkiye ranks among the top five countries in nuclear unit construction. According to GEM, Türkiye is building 4,800 MW of nuclear capacity, on par with Egypt.

All four units of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Türkiye’s first planned nuclear power plant, are under construction.

“We aim to start testing the first unit this year,” said Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, in June. The country plans to commission all four units by 2028, with one unit going online each year.

Once operational, the Akkuyu plant will meet 10% of Türkiye’s electricity consumption and reduce natural gas imports by 7 billion cubic meters annually.

Nuclear capacity trends

Global nuclear energy capacity has shown a steady increase over recent years, rising by 1,188 MW in 2020, 8,286 MW in 2021, 7,961 MW in 2022, and 11,673 MW in 2023. As of July 2024, the increase in capacity stands at 10,459 MW.

However, decommissioned nuclear capacity has also fluctuated, with 5,441 MW decommissioned in 2020, 9,298 MW in 2021, 3,860 MW in 2022, and 6,331 MW in 2023. This year, 1,000 MW of nuclear capacity has been taken offline as of July.