La capacidad nuclear global podr\u00eda m\u00e1s que triplicarse para 2060, seg\u00fan el Organismo Internacional de Energ\u00eda At\u00f3mica (OIEA), a medida que los pa\u00edses consideran cada vez m\u00e1s la energ\u00eda nuclear para satisfacer la creciente demanda el\u00e9ctrica y la seguridad energ\u00e9tica, con peque\u00f1os reactores modulares (SMR) que se convertir\u00e1n en una fuente significativa de energ\u00eda limpia y una necesidad creciente de compensar la retirada de reactores.<\/p>\n
Global nuclear power capacity could more than triple by 2060, says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as countries increasingly consider nuclear power to meet rising electricity demand and energy security, with small modular reactors (SMRs) set to become a significant new source of clean power and a growing need to offset retiring reactors.<\/p>\n
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi announced the new projections, contained in the 46th annual report\u00a0Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power Estimates for the Period up to 2060<\/a> today\u00a0at the\u00a070th IAEA General Conference<\/a>\u00a0in Vienna.<\/p>\n It is the sixth year in a row the IAEA has revised up its projections for the expansion of nuclear power. The outlook, which previously projected trends through 2050, has been extended to 2060 in this year\u2019s edition.<\/p>\n At the end of 2025, 413 nuclear power reactors were operating worldwide, providing 377.1 gigawatts electric (GW(e)) of global nuclear generating capacity. In its high case projection, capacity reaches 1045\u00a0GW(e) by 2050, compared with 992 GW(e) projected last year<\/a>, before increasing further to 1284 GW(e) by 2060 \u00ad\u00ad\u2014 approximately 3.4 times the 2025 level. The low case projects growth to 696 GW(e), nearly double the 2025 level.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IAEA projections show the increasing role of nuclear power in meeting the world\u2019s growing electricity needs. To realize this potential, investment in new nuclear capacity and reactor lifetime extensions will be essential,\u201d said Director General Grossi.<\/p>\n While nuclear electricity generation increased by 1.1% in 2025 to 2689.1 terawatt-hours compared with 2024, global electricity generation grew faster, by 2.7%. Nuclear\u2019s share of global electricity generation fell from 8.7% in 2024 to 8.4% in 2025, as nuclear generation did not keep pace with global electricity growth.<\/p>\n According to the report, the largest share of future nuclear additions globally is in Central and Eastern Asia, where nuclear capacity could rise from 114 GW(e) in 2025 to 407 GW(e) by 2060 in the high case, with nuclear electricity generation increasing almost fivefold from the 2025 level.<\/p>\n SMR uptake set to increase<\/strong><\/p>\n The role of SMRs is set to expand in the coming decades. In the high growth projection, 28% of all new nuclear capacity added by 2060 comes from SMRs, while in the low case they account for 23% of new capacity. In the previous edition of RDS-1, SMRs represented 24% of new capacity in the high case and just 5% in the low case.<\/p>\n The latest edition of the report also includes a breakdown of SMR deployment across regions, and projects a particularly strong uptake in North America where about 60% of new nuclear capacity\u00a0<\/strong>could come from SMRs. In South-Eastern Asia and in Latin America and the Caribbean it is also strong at 40% in both the high and low cases.<\/p>\n Offsetting reactor retirements<\/strong><\/p>\n Two out of every three nuclear power reactors have been in operation for more than 30 years and 45% have been in operation for more than 40 years. In the high case, about one third of 2025 capacity would retire by 2060 and almost two thirds in the low case.<\/p>\n Against this data, the report highlights a need to prepare for and offset reactor retirements.<\/p>\n Some offsetting has already begun. While seven reactors with a total capacity of 2.8 GW(e) were retired in 2025, three new nuclear power reactors with a total capacity of 3.0 GW(e) were connected to the grid and construction began on 12 new reactors that are expected to add a total capacity of 14.3 GW(e).<\/p>\n In addition, lifetime extensions and refurbishment programmes are underway in several regions to extend operation of existing large nuclear fleets, as well as new policy measures to support the competitiveness of existing reactors in deregulated electricity markets.<\/p>\n Background<\/strong><\/p>\n The 46th edition of RDS-1,\u00a0Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power Estimates for the Period up to 2060<\/a>,\u00a0provides detailed global trends in nuclear power by region. The report\u2019s low and high projections reflect alternative, yet plausible, assumptions regarding the worldwide deployment of nuclear power.<\/p>\n The projections are based on three sources: the IAEA\u2019s Power Reactor Information System;<\/a> conclusions from the IAEA\u2019s annual Consultancy Meeting on Nuclear Capacity Projections; and Uranium Resources, Production and Demand<\/a> by the IAEA and OECD Nuclear Energy Agency.<\/p>\n Since it was first published 46 years ago, the IAEA\u2019s projections have been continually refined to reflect an evolving global energy context. Over the past decade, nuclear power development has remained within the range of projections described in prior editions.<\/p>\n