For the second consecutive year, 10 new nuclear reactors came online in 2016, the most since the 1980s, according to the 2017 edition of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Nuclear Power Reactors in the World.
The 10 grid connections were: Changjiang 2, Fangchenggang 2, Fuqing 3, Hongyanhe 4, Ningde 4 (China); Kudankulam 2 (India); Shin-Kori 3 (South Korea); Chasnupp 3 (Pakistan); Novovoronezh 2-1 (Russia); and Watts Bar-2 (USA).
In addition, 2016 saw construction begin at Fangchenggang 4 and Tianwan 6 in China; and Kanupp 3 in Pakistan. According to the IAEA, as of 31 December 2016, 448 reactors were in commercial operation worldwide, with a net capacity of 391GW of electricity, the highest in history. In the same period, three reactors were permanently shut down and 61 were under construction.
Two reactors – the Monju fast breeder reactor in Japan and Santa Maria de Garoña in Spain – remain in long-term shutdown.
