The transformation that has been talked about for years in the energy world has passed a critical threshold. For the first time, solar power has produced more electricity than nuclear power plants on a global scale. With the addition of wind energy, the total production of solar and wind has exceeded twice that of nuclear power plants. The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026, announced in Istanbul, revealed that the gap between renewable energy and nuclear energy is gradually widening. While electricity from solar energy increased by 30 percent and wind energy production by 8 percent in 2025, the increase in nuclear energy was only 1 percent.
AT THE LOWEST LEVEL IN 45 YEARS
According to the report, the share of nuclear energy in world electricity production decreased from 9 percent to 8.8 percent, falling to the lowest level in the last 45 years. This rate reached its peak in 1996 with 17.5 percent. While the number of nuclear reactors shut down in 2025 exceeded the number of new reactors commissioned, global operating capacity also decreased to a limited extent. One of the most striking data of the report came from China. According to the information provided by World Nuclear Industry Status Report Coordinator Mycle Schneider, China has commissioned new solar energy capacity in 2025, approximately 120 times the increase in nuclear energy capacity.
CRITICAL PLAYER IN THE RUSSIA NUCLEAR MARKET
The report also devoted extensive attention to Russia’s position in the global nuclear energy sector. Bellona Foundation Nuclear Advisor Dmitry Gorchakov stated that Russia maintains its strong position in fuel supply with nuclear power plant projects abroad. According to the report, Russia increased its enriched uranium exports to the European Union, the USA and China in 2025. On the other hand, it was stated that the sanctions caused delays and financing problems in some of Rosatom’s projects in Türkiye and Hungary, and the company’s international revenues declined for the first time in about ten years.
PROBLEMS CONTINUE IN Fukushima
In the 596-page report, a special section was reserved for Türkiye, which built its first nuclear power plant. The study also examined nuclear energy programs in China, France, Hungary, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, the UK and the USA. According to the report, 224 nuclear energy reactors have been shut down worldwide to date. Although 15 years have passed since the Fukushima accident, the ongoing problems in and around the power plant site were also evaluated in a separate section.
