According to the International Energy Agency, nuclear power production will grow by 46 percent by 2040 — and more than 90 percent of the net increase will come from India and China which are among the top consumers of energy in the world.
Agneta Rising, the director general of the World Nuclear Association, noted that the ” largest growth in nuclear energy is in the Asia region, especially in China and India,” adding that nuclear power is “absolutely compatible” and “necessary” for a low carbon future.
In 2017, China added three nuclear reactors and its total nuclear production rose by 18 percent — or 35 TWh — the World Nuclear Industry Status Report said.
With 22 nuclear reactors, India has the seventh-largest nuclear production fleet in the world, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. With a shortage of fossil fuels, India is pursuing nuclear investments as an alternative to add to the country’s energy mix to power the country’s development. French electricity company Electricite de France (EDF), one of the largest nuclear operators in the world, will build six European Pressurized Reactors in India. The French-Indian Jaitapur project will be the “the largest nuclear plant in the world,” said Marianne Laigneau, group senior executive vice president at EDF.
