Most of the nuclear growth is in China, the WNISR data show, where capacity grew by 3.5 gigawatts in 2024 while solar added 278 GW. “Between 2005 and 2024, there were 104 startups and 101 closures,” the report states. “Of these, 51 startups and none of the closures were in China. Thus, outside China, there has been a net decline by 48 units over the same period.”

Outside China, the report states, “nuclear generation in 2024 remained 363 TWh below the 2006 level, an almost 14% plunge.”

China is the only country with two SMR designs in operation or built, and limited operational data available. Elsewhere, they “remain largely aspirational, as despite rising public and private funding, no Western SMR construction has begun,”

Chinese and Russian governments accounted for 44 of 45 of the world’s reactor construction starts between January 2020 and mid-2025, the WNISR states. China accounted for seven of the nine construction starts in 2024.

I’ve never been terribly anti-nuclear (insert several caveats here) but it just hasn’t made a lot of economic sense for some years now to invest in new plants. It’d be great if the next generation reactors are economically viable and I suppose it’s good(ish???) that the Chinese and Russians are keeping the figurative flame alive but nuclear plants just aren’t a big part of the picture for the next 20 years at least.

On a related note I’ve really stopped paying heaps of attention to the anti-solar, anti-wind, anti-EV crowd over the past couple of years as they’ve lost the argument, the economics have shifted away from their ideology. We ought be moving faster but once the invisible hand of the market decides that you’re wrong it’s only a matter of time.

Nuclear isn’t relevant. Big, expensive, and commonly used as a nazi scheme to rip people off that want to help the environment.

Solar and Wind until Fusion. NO new nuclear.