TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nuclear power remains one of the most controversial issues in the energy transition. According to the World Nuclear Association, 9% of the world’s global electricity is generated by 440 nuclear power reactors around the world.

Nuclear plays a pivotal role as the world’s second largest source of low-carbon as it has contributed to approximately one quarter of the world’s low-carbon electricity. However, countries are often challenged to manifest due to the high cost of establishing nuclear plants.

Nuclear power reactors utilize the energy released by the heat produced during certain elements of atomic fission. The steam system spins massive turbine blades into operating magnetic generators to produce electricity.

Nuclear technology was first developed during the Second World War in the 1940s for the initial scheme to produce bombs. Ten years later, the first commercial nuclear power reactor site was established around the 1950s.

Top 10 Nuclear Power Countries in the world

During its early years, the civil nuclear power market was split up into the East and West. In today’s setting, the nuclear power industry is classified by international trading.

Here are the top 10 nuclear power countries in the world according to the Nuclear Energy Institute and various nuclear technology sources.

1. USA - 779,186 GWHR
2. China - 406,484 GWHR
3. France - 327,373 GWHR
4. Russia - 203,957 GWHR
5. South Korea - 171,640 GWHR
6. Canada - 83,465 GWHR
7. Japan - 77,539 GWHR
8. Spain - 54,371 GWHR
9. Sweden - 46,648 GWHR
10. India - 44,646 GWHR

Ranking one on the list, the US generates more nuclear energy based electricity than any other countries. In 2021, the country had around 93 reactors across the states. The US Energy Information and Administration stated the nuclear reactors in this country are enclosed by massive domes. Additionally, cooling towers are not provided for some of the nuclear power plants, heavily relying on water from the ocean, lakes, and rivers.

Following suit is China as the second of the top 10 nuclear power countries in the world. The country had around 51 nuclear reactors in 2021. As of 2024, it has generated 2 more reactors making it a total of 55 active reactors. China is set to establish additional 23 nuclear reactors in the near future.

Russia is ranked fourth as the top 10 nuclear power countries in 2024 boosting about 19% of the total electricity generated. Russia is aiming to establish almost half of the country’s electricity from both nuclear and hydro by 2030.

According to the World Nuclear Association, there has been a remarkable improvement in the performance of nuclear reactors over the past 40 years. In 2023, fourteen countries generated about one-quarter of the electricity from their respective nuclear reactors.

Today, there are about 220 research reactors in over 50 countries that largely hold research as well as training. Meanwhile, Bangladesh and Turkey are in the process of establishing their first ever nuclear power plants.

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