Europe forecast to decommission 150 nuclear plants by 2030

The majority of planned nuclear power closures globally are forecast to take place in Europe, with 150 plants in line for closure by 2030.

That's the conclusion of a new report by energy intelligence provider GlobalData, which revealed that Europe accounts for 69% of the 200 closures globally.



In contrast, the US was shown to have granted a life extension to 71 plants and is expecting to close just five plants - out of an estimated 200 power closures anticipated globally. The 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan is thought to have accelerated plans by many European countries to a phase out nuclear, with Germany and Belgium aiming to end production by 2030.



The European commercial nuclear decommissioning market value was shown to stand at £52,264m with the UK, France and Russian scoring the highest decommissioning market values at £12.4m, £13,785m and £8,624m respectively.



The Asia-Pacific region was shown to represent the second highest market value at £13,031m while North America offers the smallest amount at £5,243m.



Carys Matthews