IAEA Says Nuclear Capacity Could More Than Double By 2050, With SMRs Playing ‘Pivotal Role’

As interest in sector grows, agency revises projections upwards for fifth year in a row

IAEA Says Nuclear Capacity Could More Than Double By 2050, With SMRs Playing ‘Pivotal Role’
IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi addressing the agency’s 69th general conference in Vienna on 15 September. Courtesy IAEA.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has revised upwards its projections for the expansion of nuclear power for the fifth year in a row, estimating that global nuclear operational capacity will more than double by 2050.

The Vienna-based UN agency said nuclear capacity could reach 2.6 times the 2024 level by 2050 with small modular reactors (SMRs) expected to play a pivotal role in this expansion.

The estimate comes as global momentum continues to build behind the “clean and secure” source of energy, a statement said.

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