Solar and breeze are increasingly outpacing nuclear power globally, alongside sun-related generation surpassing nuclear for the archetypal period in 2025, according to WNISR 2026. The study highlights nuclear’s dilatory growth, lengthy building timelines and constricted small standardized reactor deployment, contrasting them alongside fast renewables and power division expansion.
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) 2026, overseen by French nuclear energy adviser Mycle Schneider, shows that breeze power solitary surpassed nuclear generation on a monthly basis in March 2025, followed by sun-related in April – the archetypal period earth monthly sun-related generation exceeded nuclear output.
From March 2025 through June 2026, either sun-related or breeze individually generated additional power than nuclear all month. In March, April and May 2026, the two technologies independently surpassed nuclear generation.
Increasing gap
According to the report, the gap between renewables and nuclear widened substantially in 2025. Global sun-related capability risen by 510 GW to 2,383 GW, up 27% twelvemonth on year, during breeze added a document 159 GW to attain 1,291 GW, an addition of 14%. By comparison, installed nuclear capability rosy by fair 1.5 GW to 399.5 GW, during functioning nuclear capability declined by 0.5 GW to 368.6 GW. The study notes that nuclear capability has remained basically flat for additional than 25 years, during breeze and, particularly, sun-related have expanded rapidly.
The report’s PV figures, however, are according to comparatively traditional estimates. More latest data from IEA PVPS signify that earth PV additions reached about 690 GW in 2025, concerning 180 GW additional than the fig used by WNISR. This suggests the gap between sun-related and nuclear capability – and their corresponding growth rates – was equal wider than indicated in the report.
“The actuality of the nuclear industry on the dirt is fairly sobering for those who expected to discover a booming sector,” Schneider told pv magazine. “Recently, U.S. nuclear business Holtec put an first community offering (IPO) on clasp fair days before its planned inventory market listing, through which it had hoped to lift nearly $1 billion. Its peer, Fermi, has misplaced concerning 80% of its inventory value since it was archetypal listed in October 2025.”
“The chief reason? These companies have small or nothing to display on the dirt to convince investors to continue providing cash,” he added. “Meanwhile, the world’s functioning nuclear fleet risen output by 1.1% – alongside output declining exterior China – during earth sun-related power generation jumped by a stunning 30%, surpassing nuclear’s annual power manufacturing for the archetypal time. One is tempted to say: It’s the growth rates, stupid!”
The study identifies falling power division expenses as a possible enabler of continued PV expansion, particularly as grids contend alongside expanding volumes of changeable renewable generation and periods of low or negative power prices. Grid-scale power division deployment accelerated sharply in 2025, alongside 104 GW and 257 GWh connected during the year. More than 78% of cumulative power division energy retention scheme (BESS) capability was installed between 2023 and 2025.
Slow expansion
The study shows that the earth nuclear field is expanding slowly, alongside most new action concentrated in China and Russia. As of July 1, 2026, 411 reactors were functioning in 31 countries, excluding 30 units in long-term outage, alongside functioning capability at 374.7 GW. In 2025, nuclear flora generated 2,703 TWh, up 1.1% twelvemonth on year, mostly driven by a 7.6% addition in China. Outside China, nuclear generation declined by 0.2% and remained fine below its 2006 level. Nuclear’s portion of earth power generation slipped to 8.8%, its lowest flat in four and a fractional decades and approximately fractional its 1996 highest of 17.5%.
Four reactors started supplying power in 2025, during seven closed, resulting in the archetypal negative annual reactor balance since 2021. Between 2006 and 2025, 104 reactors started up and 106 closed. China accounted for 53 of those startups and no closures, definition the remainder of the earth recorded a net decrease of 55 reactors. Although earth nuclear capability risen by a net 21.5 GW complete the two decades, China solitary added 52.3 GW, during capability exterior the nation cut by nearly 30.7 GW.
The building pipeline has nevertheless expanded. Seventy-three reactors were under building as of July 1, the highest figure since 1987, alongside China accounting for 37. Russia remains the foremost global supplier, alongside Russian innovation engaged in 29 reactors under building worldwide, including 22 exterior Russia. Nine out of 10 reactors being built are in Asia or Eastern Europe.
Long building times and delays remain a characteristic of new nuclear projects, according to the report. None of the 16 reactors connected to the grid between 2023 and 2025 was completed on schedule, alongside an average building duration of 10.9 years. Of 13 reactors scheduled to commencement generating power in 2025, lone four did so. Some projects have informed exceptionally lengthy timelines, including Slovakia’s Mochovce-4, anywhere building began additional than 40 years ago, and Iran’s Bushehr-2, anywhere building initially started in 1976.
Construction starts accelerated in 2025, however, reaching 12 units, the highest annual total since 2010. Nine were in China, two in Russia and one in South Korea. Of the 52 reactor building starts recorded worldwide between 2020 and 2025, all but one engaged the Chinese or Russian nuclear industries, either domestically or abroad.
Limited advancement on small standardized reactors
The study questions whether small standardized reactors (SMRs) can provision on their long-standing business promises, noting that advancement remains constricted notwithstanding expanding authorities assistance and community funding.
“For decades, small standardized reactors have been held out as holding awesome commitment for expanding nuclear power into assorted new markets. Remarkably akin claims have been made by the nuclear industry in multiple countries. Nowhere have these claims arrive true,” the authors said.
The authors difficulty multiple claimed advantages of SMRs, including lesser costs, standardized construction, improved safety, reduced discarded and easier siting. Many commercially projected designs are 300 MW or larger, during an inspection cited in the study suggests several SMR designs could create between two and 30 times additional nuclear discarded than larger reactors.
The study additionally questions whether standardized manufacturing can accomplish economies of measure without a ample and predictable market. Still, SMR projects are advancing in multiple countries. Canada began building of GE-Hitachi’s BWRX-300 in 2026, during China continued evaluation its Linglong One display reactor. Russia is evolving floating and land-based SMRs, during the Czech Republic and Sweden are following Rolls-Royce projects. The study questions whether the EU can encounter its goal of deploying its archetypal SMRs by the first 2030s.
The United Kingdom has committed £2.6 milliard ($3.5 billion) to advancement three Rolls-Royce reactors at Wylfa, alongside a final funding decision expected in 2029. At 470 MW, the scheme exceeds the commonly used 300 MW threshold for SMRs.
In the United States, national backing supports projects involving GE Vernova, TerraPower, X-energy and Kairos Power. While several have reached permitting or building stages, many remain years from business operation. Overall, the study says SMR betterment remains heavily reliant on community funding, during business deployment, building timelines and the claimed benefits of standardized building remain uncertain.
Global overview
The study additionally provides detailed country-level assessments covering developments in important nuclear markets and possible newcomer countries, as fine as nuclear decommissioning, the Fukushima catastrophe and Russia’s nuclear interdependencies.
These sections analyze reactor operations, newbuild plans, closures, guideline developments and the challenges connected alongside aging fleets. The study additionally tracks the dismantling of closed reactors, developments in Japan 15 years following the Fukushima accident, and the nuclear industry’s continuing technology, energy and supply-chain links alongside Russia.
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