In the popular imagination, nuclear power plants conjure fears of catastrophic explosions and radiation leaks, such as the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986. In reality, hundreds of reactors safely operate all over the world with excellent safety records, and many countries are building or planning to build reactors. In this article, we’ll share what countries have reactors and which ones are planning to build them.

Why the Interest in Nuclear Power?

As of May 2023, 32 countries have a total of 436 working nuclear reactors, generating about 10% of the world’s demand for electricity. Note that these numbers reflect the number of reactors, not the number of power stations. Some plants have 2 or more reactors. And in some cases countries have one or two small research reactors rather than large commercial reactors. 

Next, some of the main reasons countries pursue nuclear power.

Energy Independence

Some countries are interested in nuclear power to make them less dependent on imported energy from other countries. For example, in light of the East-West standoff in Ukraine, Europe would like to be less dependent on piped-in oil from Russia.

Sustainability

Nuclear power is also attractive because it is a carbon-neutral power source. Yes, it generates nuclear waste that needs long-term storage for thousands of years. But it only releases steam into the atmosphere that does not contribute to climate change.

Prestige & Technical Prowess

Nuclear reactors are expensive and technologically complex. Therefore, countries that build them display impressive technological prowess. This makes them seem like leaders in their region and more attractive for investment by companies considering investing in the tech sector in those countries. 

Nuclear Weapons Infrastructure

Finally, a few countries such as Iran and North Korea are developing and expanding nuclear weapons programs. Although the uranium used in power plants is not radioactive enough to build a nuclear bomb, there are processes to enrich it to weapons-grade. So nuclear power plants help some countries lay the technical groundwork for future weapons production. 

Africa

Only one country in Africa has an operational commercial nuclear power plant, but that will change in the coming years. 

• South Africa is the only country in Africa generating electricity with nuclear power. It has 2 reactors. South Africa had a nuclear weapons program but shut it down with the collapse of the Apartheid government there. 
• Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria are all at various stages of doing feasibility studies, regulatory frameworks, and construction of their first nuclear reactors. 

Asia (East and South)

More than half of the world’s population lives in Asia and it is an economic powerhouse for the globe. It has more nuclear reactors than any continent than North America.

• China: 53 reactors, and is a nuclear weapons state. 
• India: 24 reactors, and is a nuclear weapons state.
• Japan: 33 reactors. 
• North Korea: 1 research reactor, and is a nuclear weapons state.
• Pakistan: 6 reactors, and is a nuclear weapons state.
• South Korea: 26 reactors
• Taiwan: 2 reactors
• Countries considering joining the nuclear power club in the future include Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka. 

Australia/Oceania

Australia, New Zealand, and the island nations of the Pacific have no nuclear plants or plans to build them. Nuclear is a hard sell with the population there, who are heavily into environmentalism and not convinced yet that nuclear is the best of the non-carbon options. 

Europe

Europe is heavily developed and has a large population, but few indigenous energy resources. It relies on imports of petroleum products from other countries. Until 2022, the continent imported a great deal of Russian oil by pipeline, but since the war in Ukraine heated up and Russia came under international sanctions, Europe has begun importing more from the United States and other countries. France is more dependent on nuclear power than any other country, drawing about 70% of its electricity from this source.

• Belarus: 1 reactor
• Belgium: 7 reactors
• Bulgaria: 2 reactors
• Czech Republic: 6 reactors
• Finland: 5 reactors
• France: 56 reactors, and is a nuclear weapons state.
• Hungary: 4 reactors
• Netherlands: 1 reactor
• Romania: 2 reactors
• Russia: 38 reactors, and is a nuclear weapons state.
• Slovakia: 5 reactors
• Spain: 7 reactors
• Sweden: 6 reactors
• Switzerland: 4 reactors
• Ukraine: 15 reactors
• United Kingdom: 15 reactors, and is a nuclear weapons state.
• Countries in the region considering building nuclear power plants include: Albania, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland.

Latin America

Few countries in Latin American use nuclear power at present, but that is likely to change in the future as local economies continue to develop. 

• Argentina: 3 reactors
• Brazil: 2 reactors
• Mexico: 2 reactors
• Cuba has also shown some interest in the possibility of using nuclear energy. Its economy has suffered from U.S. sanctions and from the drop in aid from Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. 

Middle East

The Middle East has vast petroleum reserves but countries in the region are still interested in nuclear energy. Why? Well, even their oil won’t last forever. Getting an early start on a diversified energy strategy makes sense to them. With Israel already nuclear-armed and Iran pursuing nuclear technology, Arab countries don’t want to fall behind their rivals. And some countries in the region, like Jordan and Egypt, don’t have substantial amounts of oil themselves. Nuclear power can help provide a steady source of electricity supplied domestically. 

• Armenia: 1 reactor
• Egypt: 2 research reactors, 4 more under construction for commercial power.
• Iran: 1 reactor, developing a nuclear weapons program.
• Israel: 1 nuclear research reactor, and is a nuclear weapons state.
• Turkey: 0 reactors, but construction on the first will be complete 2025
• United Arab Emirates: 3
• Countries exploring and preparing for nuclear power in the future: Azerbaijan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia

North America

The United States churns out about 10% of the total global nuclear energy. This is about 18.5% of the country’s own energy needs. North America as a whole has more reactors than any other continent. 

• United States: 95 reactors
• Canada: 19 reactors

 

 

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