Emerging Countries Will Power a New Nuclear Energy Boom

Wednesday 17 April 2013, Amsterdam

Global nuclear energy generation will climb by almost 30% by the end of the decade, thanks in part to an influx of new nations developing nuclear programs, according to a research and consulting firm.

The company’s new report predicts worldwide nuclear energy generation to jump from 2,386,449 GWh in 2012 to 3,078,130 GWh in 2020, with 198 nuclear reactors scheduled to begin commercial operations within the forecast window.

The predicted increase follows the modest growth witnessed between 2000 and 2011, and the sharp drop of 2011-2012 when some countries shut down reactors in response to the Fukushima disaster.

At present there are around 45 nuclear-free countries looking at adding the controversial power source to their energy portfolio, including the UAE, Turkey, Poland and Bangladesh. Of this group, the UAE will be the primary nuclear energy driver over the forecast period, with four nuclear power plants expected to come online by 2020.

The escalating need for power, combined with soaring fossil fuel prices, is driving the demand for nuclear energy around the world – especially amongst rapidly developing countries where large scale alternative energy generation is impractical. According to the report, global power consumption will climb from 20,114,049 GWh in 2012 to 27,496,560 GWh in 2020, increasing at an Annual Average Growth Rate (AAGR) of 4%.

A substantial number of reactors coming online in countries such as China, India and South Korea will see the Asia-Pacific region lead in terms of global nuclear energy generation over the forecast period, states the new report – jumping from 323,989 GWh in 2012 to a massive 851,698 GWh by the end of the decade.