China led global nuclear power developments in 2018

According to the World Nuclear Report 2019, China led global nuclear developments in 2018, as 7 of the 9 reactors that were commissioned during the year were located in China, the other two being in Russia. Chinese nuclear power generation grew by 19% and contributed to the 2.4% increase in global nuclear production (without China, this growth would have only been 0.6%). However, China will miss the nuclear targets set in its Five-Year-Plan 2020 to have 58 GW installed and 30 GW under construction (no construction start up since December 2016). As of 1 July 2019, China had 47 operating reactors with a total net capacity of 44.5 GW, while 10 units totaling 8.8 GW are under construction.

In 2018, the share of nuclear in the global power mix continued to decline and newbuild projects are facing delays. At least 27 of the 46 reactors under construction are delayed, with 11 reporting increased delays, and only 9 of the 17 units scheduled to be commissioned in 2018 were actually connected to the grid.

Nuclear power generation is also facing an increased competition from renewables. In many countries, new renewable power projects can now compete economically with existing nuclear power plants and are built much faster, saving more CO₂ per year. According to the report, levelized cost estimates for utility-scale solar fell by 88% over the past decade, wind by 69%, while nuclear increased by 23%. Investments in renewables are continuing to soar, with 165 GW connected to the grid in 2018, compared to 9 GW of new nuclear capacity.