World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2015

On October 13, 2015, NRDC will host the U.S. release of this year's edition of an important analysis on nuclear energy: The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2015 (WNISR), co-authored by Mycle Schneider and Antony Froggatt.

As the world moves towards a clean energy future and seeks to mitigate climate change, the role of nuclear power deserves careful scrutiny. The WNISR's data-driven analysis is an annual reality check for the nuclear industry, with this year's report looking at negative trends in nuclear construction and economics, and growing competition from wind and solar.

A key section of the report concerns countries developing or actually constructing nuclear plants for the first time. In the Middle East context (think Iran deal), the report considers nuclear reactor projects in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

This year's analysis examines pervasive problems in construction of new nuclear reactor designs: "Of 18 units of Generation III+ design (eight Westinghouse AP1000, six Rosatom AES-2006, four AREVA EPR), 16 are delayed by between two and nine years. A number of causes for delays have been assessed: design issues, shortage of skilled labor, quality control issues, supply chain issues, poor planning either by the utility and/or equipment suppliers, and shortage of finance (report page 15)."

A key figure in this year's report contrasts world trends in wind, solar and nuclear electricity production since the Kyoto protocol was signed in 1997, illustrating the sharp decline in electricity from nuclear following the Fukushima accident in the spring of 2011 (see report page 94).