Mapping the World's Nuclear Plants

The CarbonBrief website has produced a map and accompanying blog post surveying the world's portfolio of nuclear power plants, as it exists today and over the course of its history. The interactive map "shows the location, operating status and generating capacity of all 667 reactors that have been built, or are under construction, around the world, ever since Russia’s tiny Obninsk plant became the first to supply power to the grid in 1954."

The map reveals the vital statistics of the world's nuclear power portfolio: 400 plants operate in 31 countries, with an average age of 29 years. The post also notes in detail, however, how nuclear power has fallen out of favor, with decreasing new construction, countries taking plants offline, a decreasing share of the world's overall energy portfolio, and an ageing stock of facilities.

Tanvi Misra picked up on the work of CarbonBrief, offering a few key takeaways from the data and illustrations provided by CarbonBrief.