The World Nuclear Industry Status Report (1 July 2014) Operation: There are 31 countries operating nuclear power plants in the world.2 A total of 388 reactors have a combined installed capacity of 333 GW. Only two Japanese units (Ohi-3 and -4) have generated power in 2013 and WNISR classifies 43 reactors4 as being in Long-Term Outage (LTO). Besides the Japanese reactors, one Indian and one South Korean reactor meet the LTO criteria. Ten reactors at Fukushima Daiichi and Daini are considered closed permanently, and are therefore not included in the count of operating nuclear power plants. As of the middle of July 2014, it appears likely that at the most two reactors (Sendai-1 and -2 in Kyushu Prefecture) will restart before the end of the year. The nuclear industry is in decline: The 388 operating reactors are 50 fewer than the peak in 2002, while the total installed capacity peaked in 2010 at 367 GW before declining to the current level, which is comparable to levels last seen two decades ago. Annual nuclear electricity generation reached a maximum of 2,660 TWh in 2006 and dropped to 2,359 TWh in 2013, which represents however a stabilization (+0.6 percent) after two consecutive years of significant decline (-4 percent in 2011, -7 percent in 2012), corresponding to a level previously seen in 1999. The nuclear share of the world’s power generation declined steadily from a historic peak of 17.6 percent in 1996 to 10.8 percent in 20137. Nuclear power’s share of global commercial primary energy production declined from the 2012 low of 4.5 percent, a level last seen in 1984, to a new low of 4.4 percent. As in 2012, the “big five” nuclear generating countries—by rank, the United States, France, Russia, South Korea and China—generated 68 percent of the world’s nuclear electricity in 2013. And, as in 2012, only one country, the Czech Republic, reached its record nuclear contribution to the national electricity mix in 2013. Age: In the absence of major new-build programs apart from China, the unit-weighted average age of the world operating nuclear reactor fleet continues to increase and by mid-2014 stood at 28.5 years. Over 170 units (44 percent of the total) have operated for 30 years or more; of those units, including 39 that have run for over 40 years. Construction: As one year earlier, fourteen countries are currently building nuclear power plants. With Belarus, a new country was added to the countries engaged in nuclear projects, while Taiwan has halted construction work at two units. As of July 2014, 67 reactors were under construction (one more than in July 2013) with a total capacity of 64 GW. The average building time of the units under construction stands at 7 years. However: • Eight reactors have been listed as “under construction” for more than 20 years, another for 12 years; • At least 49 have encountered construction delays, most of them significant (several months to several years). For the first time, major delays—several months to over two years—have been admitted on three quarters (21/28) of the construction projects in China; • For the remaining 18 reactor units, either construction began within the past five years or the reactors have not yet reached projected start-up dates, making it difficult or impossible to assess whether they are on schedule or not; • Two-thirds (43) of the units under construction are located in three countries: China, India and Russia. The average construction time of the last 37 units that started up in nine countries since 2004 was 10 years with a large range from 3.8 to 36.3 years. Twenty-eight years after the Chernobyl disaster, none of the next generation or so-called Generation III or III+ has entered service with construction projects in Finland and France many years behind schedule. Startups and Shutdowns: In 2013, four reactors started up (3 in China, 1 in India), while one was shut down (in the U.S.).10 In the first half of 2014, two started up (1 each in China and Argentina) and none were closed. Newcomer Program Delays: Delays have occurred in the development of the nuclear programs for most of the more advanced potential newcomer countries, including Bangladesh, Jordan, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Vietnam. Construction Starts: In 2013, construction began on 10 reactors, including 4 units on two sites in the US, a first in 35 years. In the first half of 2014, a second unit got underway in Belarus and work started on a small 25-MW pilot plant in Argentina. Construction Halt: In Taiwan, construction on two units (Lungmen-1 and -2), which had been under construction for the past 15 years has been halted. Certification Delays: The certification of new reactor designs encounters continuous obstacles. In the U.S., the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) first delayed to 2015 the certification of the Franco-German-designed EP11and now no longer projects any completion date for the review. The NRC rejected the license application for the South Korean APR1400 due to lack of information in key areas. Only the Westinghouse AP1000 has received full generic design approval in the U.S. There is no projected completion date for the renewal of the certification for the two versions of the ABWR (GE-Hitachi and Toshiba). Construction Start Delays: Various countries’ construction starts were delayed, including in Vietnam, previously considered to feature one of the most advanced potential newcomer projects. Project Delays and Cancellations: Over the past few years, numerous nuclear projects have been indefinitely delayed or cancelled. The most recent is the call for tender for two new units at the Czech Temelin site that was simply withdrawn in April 2014, officially due to low electricity prices and a lack of government guarantees.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 21:59:13 +0000
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