Ten Nuclear Plants Came Online in 2016, 55 under construction
Power Engineering, 30 January 2017
By Editors of Power Engineering
Ten new nuclear reactors came online in 2016, half of which were in China, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report. Of the remaining five, one each were in India, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea and the United States. The new Watts-Bar 2 reactor by the Tennessee Valley Authority was activated 43 years after the start of construction, which is a world record in project longevity. Including shutdowns of two reactors, including the Fort Calhoun reactor, and the restart of two Japanese reactors, there are now 406 operating nuclear reactors in the world, up from 396 one year ago. The United States still has the largest operating fleet at 99. Only three new reactors broke ground in 2016, two in China and one in Pakistan. Eight began construction in 2015. Currently 55 reactors are under construction in 13 countries, with 35 of them behind schedule. China alone has 21 reactors under development.