Nuclear energy is set for a worldwide return to prominence, IEA says

Nuclear energy is set for a worldwide return to prominence thanks to rising electricity demand, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. Interest in it is at its highest level since the oil crisis of the 1970s, according to an IEA report. More than 40 countries are planning to build nuclear capacity.

Electricity demand is being driven by the climate crisis and the associated need to ensure low-emissions supplies. Demand is rising not only in traditional sectors such as industry, but also because electric vehicles and data centres cannot operate without electricity. Electricity is also essential for the use of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the IEA, output from the world’s nearly 420 nuclear reactors will reach a new high this year.

Although some countries are gradually moving away from nuclear energy or shutting down their plants prematurely, global electricity generation from nuclear power plants is growing. Japan is restarting output, France is completing maintenance at its nuclear power plants, and new reactors are being commissioned in China, India, Korea and Europe. Nuclear energy accounts for nearly 10% of global electricity generation and is the second-largest source of low-emissions electricity after hydropower.

However, the expansion of nuclear power depends to a considerable extent on Chinese and Russian technologies and resources such as uranium, creating a risk of future dependencies, the IEA said. China is expanding rapidly, while countries with a long tradition of nuclear power, such as the United States and France, are grappling with delays and rising costs to modernise their nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power has traditionally been financed by governments. However, private investors are also needed for its rapid development, the IEA stressed. For nuclear power to expand rapidly, global investment in the sector would need to double by 2030 to approximately 117 billion euros (2.95 trillion Kč), the IEA estimates.

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