The year 2015 marked a 25 year record high in the number of nuclear reactors, both on line and under construction, according to the World Nuclear Performance Report 2016.
There were around 430 reactors in operation in 1991, according to the World Nuclear Association's reactor database.
At the start of 2015 there were 436 operable reactors around the world, and by year-end there were 439, according to the World Nuclear Association report released on Tuesday.
However, the increase in the number of reactors over the 25 year period is fudged by the fact that reactors come on and offline depending on the technology and their upgrade requirements.
'This increase in reactor numbers came despite the retirement of seven units during the year,' the report said.
The existing global fleet generated 2,441 terawatt hours of electricity in 2015, roughly 10 percent of the world’s electricity, making up around one-third of the world’s low-carbon electricity supply, according to the report.
Nuclear reactor performance has improved steadily over the last 35 years, and significantly, reactor performance is not fundamentally affected by reactor age as older plants operate just as well as younger plants.
- Nuclear construction times decreased
Construction times for new reactors has improved over the last 15 years, with reactors coming on line in 2015 having an average construction time of around six years, the report said.
'This report shows that, despite challenging market conditions in some regions, existing nuclear plant performance is strong and the pace of new build is accelerating,' Agneta Rising, director general of World Nuclear Association said at the report launch.
'Even though new build levels are at a 25 year high, the rate of new grid connections will have to increase significantly to support global economic growth, alleviate energy poverty and provide enough clean energy to meet agreed climate change targets,' the report said.
The World Nuclear Association expects 1,000 gigawatts of capacity for new nuclear builds by 2050, with nuclear generation supplying 25 percent of global electricity demand, the report said. .
By Huseyin Erdogan
Anadou Agency
huseyin.erdogan@aa.com.tr