According to the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE) by the IEA, nuclear energy is to play a key role in achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Nuclear power capacity additions are forecast to double in the next decades, peaking between 2031 and 2040 at over 25 gigawatts. This increment is similar to the one observed before Chernobyl's nuclear disaster in 1986.
China and other emerging and developing economies are estimated to be the main contributors to new additions until 2040, when G7 members (Canada, Japan, the UK, the US, and the EU) will take over to balance the shutdown of pre-existing nuclear plants reaching the end of their lifecycle.
Estimated nuclear power capacity additions worldwide by selected countries and regions in the Net Zero Emissions Scenario from 1971 to 2020, with a forecast until 2050
(in gigawatts)
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Statista. (August 17, 2022). Estimated nuclear power capacity additions worldwide by selected countries and regions in the Net Zero Emissions Scenario from 1971 to 2020, with a forecast until 2050 (in gigawatts) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 08, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1326479/nuclear-energy-capacity-additions-scenario/
Statista. "Estimated nuclear power capacity additions worldwide by selected countries and regions in the Net Zero Emissions Scenario from 1971 to 2020, with a forecast until 2050 (in gigawatts)." Chart. August 17, 2022. Statista. Accessed January 08, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1326479/nuclear-energy-capacity-additions-scenario/
Statista. (2022). Estimated nuclear power capacity additions worldwide by selected countries and regions in the Net Zero Emissions Scenario from 1971 to 2020, with a forecast until 2050 (in gigawatts). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 08, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1326479/nuclear-energy-capacity-additions-scenario/
Statista. "Estimated Nuclear Power Capacity Additions Worldwide by Selected Countries and Regions in The Net Zero Emissions Scenario from 1971 to 2020, with a Forecast until 2050 (in Gigawatts)." Statista, Statista Inc., 17 Aug 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1326479/nuclear-energy-capacity-additions-scenario/
Statista, Estimated nuclear power capacity additions worldwide by selected countries and regions in the Net Zero Emissions Scenario from 1971 to 2020, with a forecast until 2050 (in gigawatts) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1326479/nuclear-energy-capacity-additions-scenario/ (last visited January 08, 2025)
Estimated nuclear power capacity additions worldwide by selected countries and regions in the Net Zero Emissions Scenario from 1971 to 2020, with a forecast until 2050 (in gigawatts) [Graph], Statista, August 17, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1326479/nuclear-energy-capacity-additions-scenario/
