Podcast: World Nuclear Performance Report
The 2023 report, produced by World Nuclear Association, reveals that globally, the world's nuclear reactors generated more than 2500 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity for the sixth year running in 2022. Nuclear generation supplies around one-quarter of the world's clean electricity, second only to hydropower. However, as he explains, output totalled 2545 TWh, meaning generation in 2022 was just over 100 TWh lower than in 2021, mostly as a result of events in Ukraine, France and Germany.
Cobb also has a bundle of fascinating stats, including those which suggest the oldest reactors - those over 50 years old - are more than matching the performance of the newer and younger ones and contributing to overall generation.
The report details that six new reactors were connected to the grid in 2022: two reactors in China, and one each in Finland, Pakistan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. Construction started on eight reactors: five in China, two in Egypt and one in Turkey.
And in her concluding remarks in the World Nuclear Performance Report 2023, World Nuclear Association Director General Sama Bilbao y León says an increasing number of governments are recognising the value of nuclear generation to address the challenges of climate change, energy security and achieving the global sustainable development goal of providing access to affordable and clean energy for all.
She adds that "unless we can turn policies into action government commitments will remain as just good intentions" and she says: "We need to develop our industry self-awareness, and scan the horizon together, looking for challenges and opportunities and developing joint strategies to make the most of both. Put simply, we will either succeed together, or fail separately."
Also in this edition of the World Nuclear News podcast: July was another busy news month - Claire Maden covers a bundle of good news stories from Canada, Warwick Pipe reports on developments in France and Poland, while host Alex Hunt hears from UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps as he launched Great British Nuclear, the arms-length organisation intended to help the country hit its target of 24 GW of nuclear by 2050.
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