Nuclear power reactors produce energy by initiating and controlling a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Currently, over 400 such reactors in 32 countries provide about 10 per cent of the world’s electricity. The IAEA fosters an international information exchange and collaboration on technological innovations in different reactor technologies.
This is the 44th edition of Reference Data Series No. 2, which presents the most recent reactor data available to the IAEA. It contains summarized information as of the end of 2023 on power reactors operating, under construction and shut down as well as performance data on reactors operating in the IAEA Member States.
This is the 43rd edition of Reference Data Series No. 2, which presents the most recent reactor data available to the IAEA. It contains summarized information as of the end of 2022 on power reactors operating, under construction and shut down as well as performance data on reactors operating in the IAEA Member States.
The IAEA's Research Reactor Database (RRDB) is an authoritative database containing technical information on over 800 research reactors, including critical and sub-critical assemblies in 71 countries. The information in the database, provided by facility focal points nominated through official ...
The heat warms the reactor’s cooling agent, typically water, to produce steam. The steam is then channelled to spin turbines, activating an electric generator to create low-carbon electricity. Find more details about the different types of nuclear power reactors on this page. Pressurized water reactors are the most used in the world.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors that produce up to 300 MW (e) of low-carbon electricity, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors.
Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) are nuclear fission reactors in which either the fuel and/or the coolant is a molten salt. Molten salt is salt which liquifies at elevated temperatures and can store massive amounts of thermal energy at atmospheric pressure. When used as fuel the molten salt is dissolved ...
These simulators provide efficient hands-on learning of the physics and engineering designs of various reactor types. The simulators operate on personal computers and are provided for a broad audience of technical and non-technical professionals, students and instructors as an introductory educational tool.
In August 2021, China announced the completion of its first experimental thorium-based nuclear reactor. Built in the middle of the Gobi Desert in the country’s north, the reactor over the next few years will undergo testing. If the experiment proves successful, Beijing plans to construct another ...
Electricity production from nuclear power rose by 2.6 per cent last year compared to 2022, according to the operating data provided by IAEA Member States to the Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) — the IAEA’s comprehensive and publicly available database on nuclear power.
