Nuclear energy hit a record high in power generation in 2025 and could play a larger role in the world’s power mix going forward, according to a February International Energy Agency report.
In the report “Electricity 2026”, published Feb. 6, nuclear power produced 2,850 terawatt-hours (TWh) globally in 2025, indicating a 1.2% increase from 2024 (2,817 TWh). IEA said it projects nuclear power to grow to 3,279 TWh by 2030.
The nuclear growth was attributed to reactor restarts in Japan, higher generation in France and new reactors being built in China, India and elsewhere, according to the report.
Nuclear power along with renewable sources, such as solar and wind, are projected to generate 50% of global electricity generation by 2030, which would be up from the current 42%, IEA said in its Feb. 6 press release.
According to the report, the global power demand is set to grow by 3.5% per year on average for the rest of the decade, with electricity generation from renewables sources, natural gas and nuclear all growing to keep pace. IEA said the energy demand is primarily driven by industrial use, an uptick in electric vehicles, greater air conditioning use and data centers.
Though most of the nuclear growth is expected to come from emerging economies through 2030, China alone is expected to account for around 40% of the global increase, IEA said.
According to IEA, China has almost 30 gigawatts of new nuclear energy generation expected to come online between 2026-2030. China’s nuclear generation is expected to increase nearly 6% per year on average through that five-year period.