Nuclear power plants in the EU are ageing, with their average age now exceeding 33 years

Nuclear power plants in the European Union are ageing, with their current average age standing at around 33 years. Only a few nuclear power plants are currently under construction in the EU, meaning that the replacement of ageing plants with new ones remains out of sight for now. France has one of the oldest nuclear power plant fleets, despite relying on this source for approximately 75 % of its electricity generation.

The age of nuclear power plants in the European Union is no secret to those in the know; the decline in construction following the Chernobyl disaster or Fukushima effectively meant that construction of new reactors was significantly curtailed.

New builds are rather the exception in the EU, with only 6 units currently under construction. This has resulted in a situation where no new units have been built in some countries for several years, as in the United Kingdom, whereHinkley Point C is being dubbed Britain’s first power plant in a generation.