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BUSINESS OVERVIEW
06
6.1 Markets for nuclear power and renewable energies
REACTORS IN OPERATION OR UNDER CONSTRUCTION WORLDWIDE AT YEAR-END 2016
North America
South America
Africa & Middle East
Southern & Eastern Asia
CIS
Europe
134
52
11
131
33
7
7
7
2
118
4
In service
Under construction
4
Sources: IAEA and WNA, restated by AREVA.
Nuclear power continues to grow around the world, led mainly by China, Russia,
South Korea and India, as well as by a number of countries which are examining
the nuclear option as a new component of their energy mix. According to the IAEA
and the World Nuclear Association (WNA), 60 reactors were under construction
worldwide at the end of 2016 (compared with 66 at the end of 2015); 165 reactors
were in project or on order (compared with 158 at the end of 2015, 181 at the end of
2014, 170 at the end of 2013, 165 at the end of 2012 and 152 at the end of 2011);
and more than 300 more are planned in the coming years.
Three main types of reactors are involved:
p
light water reactors, which represent about 82% of the global fleet and may be
further divided into two categories: most are pressurized water reactors (PWR),
which represent practically all of the new builds, while the remainder are boiling
water reactors (BWR). There were 368 light water reactors in service in 2016,
including 57 VVER reactors, a Russian-designed PWR;
p
Canadian-designed heavy water Candu reactors, of which there were 49 in
operation at the end of 2016.
Other types of reactors in service include Russian-designed light water graphite
reactors (RBMK) and breeder reactors, but their number and power rating are
marginal on the international level.
OUTLOOK FOR INSTALLED NUCLEAR GENERATING CAPACITY
Nuclear power’s recognized advantages include its competitiveness and cost
predictability, security of supply, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
These advantages are expected to lead to the modernization and optimization of
existing reactors to further increase their safety and possibly available capacity.
They are also expected to contribute to new reactor construction to replace or
expand installed generating capacity worldwide, and thus to be a potential source
of long-term growth for all nuclear fuel cycle operations.
With the prospect of increasing reliance on nuclear power over the years to come,
especially in emerging countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
is seeking to promote the establishment of a new framework to respond effectively
to demand from different countries while still limiting the risks of proliferation.
For example, the IAEA is leading the International Project on Innovative Nuclear
Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) to anticipate the specific needs of developing
countries and to help emerging countries acquire the necessary infrastructure
for a nuclear power program. At the same time, the IAEA is working to establish
mechanisms to guarantee fuel supply and related services so that nuclear facilities
which are sensitive in proliferation terms do not come into being. Lastly, following the
Fukushima accident, the IAEA adopted a multi-disciplinary Nuclear Safety Action
Plan to further improve nuclear safety in global nuclear power production.
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2016 AREVA
REFERENCE DOCUMENT