Global nuclear capacity is set to surge by 44% over the next decade as China topples the United States as the biggest nuclear power capacity holder and India will hike its capacity to boost energy security. These are the estimates in a new report by BloombergNEF, which sees total global nuclear capacity at 535 gigawatts (GW) by 2036, up from the 372 GW of installed capacity as of the end of 2025.
The world is projected to have as much as 535 gigawatts of installed nuclear power by 2036, up from 372 last year, according to the report released Wednesday.
Echoing our frequent observations showing how aggressively Chinese nuclear output is growing compared to the stagnant US nuclear industry...
... China is set to nearly double its current nuclear capacity to 102 GW from 59 GW, a figure that would propel it past the US to become the world’s biggest nuclear nation.
Energy security, soaring electricity demand from AI centers, and decarbonization targets will all combine to contribute to the surge in nuclear power capacity additions in the coming decade.
“Nuclear power has essentially been ‘running in place’ since the Fukushima disaster in 2011,” according to the report. “This status quo is set to change.”
Nuclear power is making a global comeback as governments and tech companies seek reliable, low-carbon energy sources. At the same time, electricity demand is surging, driven by industrial users, increasingly electrified homes, and power-hungry data centers. Meanwhile, rising social acceptance of nuclear power is pushing utilities and governments around the world to reconsider policies that have hindered development.
At the same time, the report predicts that capacity growth will likely be tempered by slow regulatory processes that have historically dragged on new nuclear projects. Echoing our frequent lament, in the US, where the technology is getting strong support from the Trump administration, there’s only one commercial plant under construction, though BNEF expects the pace to accelerate in the coming decade.
Meanwhile, iIn the biggest emerging markets in Asia, China and India, nuclear power will be key to meeting rising electricity demand from electrification and AI centers.
China is building solar, wind, coal, and nuclear with equal enthusiasm to include “all of the above” energy sources, OilPrice reports. Beijing plans to put into operation seven new nuclear reactors this year, boosting its already substantial fleet, which is already the largest in the world.
Meanwhile, a panel set up by India’s power ministry has said in a report that India’s goal to boost its installed nuclear power capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2047, up from just 8.8 GW now, would require as much as 19.28 trillion Indian rupees, or $204 billion at current exchange rates, of cumulative capital.
The Indian government has said that its Nuclear Energy Mission targets 100 GW capacity by 2047 “through deployment of existing and emerging advanced nuclear technologies, both indigenous & with foreign cooperation.”