The decommissioning of nuclear reactors is far outpacing the construction of new plants, as the pace of Chinese reactor building has slowed and several developing countries have scrapped nuclear projects, an industry report showed.
In mid-2018, a total of 115 reactors were being decommissioned, about 70 percent of the world’s 173 reactors that have been permanently shut down, according to the annual World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR).
Only 19 reactor units have been fully decommissioned – of which 13 are in the United States, five in Germany, and one in Japan – and just 10 have been returned to greenfield sites.
Reuters – September 4, 2018.