China Leads in New Nuclear Power Builds

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

Summary

China accounted for most of the world's new nuclear power plant projects in 2025, while globally the balance between reactor startups and closures was negative for the first time since 2021.

China continues to lead the world in the construction of new nuclear power plants, accounting for more than half of the world's total as of July 1, 2026. 

According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026, of the 73 reactors under construction this summer, China accounted for 37 of them as well as half of the year-on-year increase in units under construction. This is five more than China had under construction a year ago. According to Industrial Info Resources data, there are 38 key nuclear projects in Chinaworth US$197 billion in investment. 

Targeting the No.1 Spot

China ranks second in the world, behind the U.S., both in terms of the number of operational nuclear reactors and volume of nuclear electricity generated. It has stated goals to have the world's largest nuclear capacity by 2030. As of mid-2026, China operated 63 nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of 61.5 gigawatts (GW). In 2025, nuclear plants generated a record 485 terawatt hours (TWh) gross electricity, a 7.6% increase from 2024. Overall, nuclear energy accounted for 4.6% of China's total electricity production in 2025, slightly up from 4.5% in 2024, but still a relatively small part of the nation's overall power generation. In contrast, wind and solar accounted for 83% of China's new power capacity added in 2025, while coal-fired power generation fell for the first time in a decade. Despite building more nuclear power plants than the rest of the world combined, it is lagging behind its own ambitious targets. It is 10% behind its goal to have roughly 70 GW of nuclear capacity online by the end of this year. 

Global Nuclear Development

As of July 1 2026, a total of 411 reactors--excluding those in Long-Term Outages (LTOs)--were operating in 31 countries, three more than reported for mid-2025. There were 30 units in LTO, including 18 in Japan, six in Ukraine, three in South Korea, and one each in Argentina, China and India. As of mid-2026, operating capacity exceeded the previous record by 1.7% and stood at 374.7 GW. "China, with a 7.6% increase (compared to 11.3% in 2021 and 3.7% in 2024), produced more net nuclear electricity than France for the sixth year in a row, and there is no prospect of France catching up again", the report stated. Globally, 73 reactors were considered as under construction, 10 more than the report stated a year ago and the highest number since 1987. Of these, 36 units were under construction outside China, an increase of five from mid-2025. Nine in 10 of all reactors are being built in Asia or Eastern Europe.

Reactor Startups and Closures

The annual balance between startups and closures turned negative for the first time since 2021. In 2025, four reactors were connected to the grid, two in China and one each in India and Russia. In the first half of 2026, two units were connected to the grid, both in China. In 2025, seven units were closed during 2025, three each in Belgium and Russia and one in Taiwan. "Over the past two decades 2006--2025, there were 104 startups and 106 closures. Of these, 53 startups were in China, which did not close any reactors. As a result, outside China, there has been a drastic net decline of 55 units over the same period."

Key Takeaways

• China accounted for most of the world's new nuclear power plant projects in 2025.
• Of the 73 units under construction globally, more than half are in China.
• Industrial Info Resources is tracking 38 key nuclear projects in China worth US$197 billion in investment. 

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).