Nuclear Power Market by Plant Lifecycle Stage, Type, Application, Connectivity, Capacity, and Region - Global Forecast to 2029

The nuclear power market is forecasted to reach USD 44.71 billion by 2029 from an estimated USD 38.84 billion in 2024, at a CAGR of 2.9% during the forecast period. The rising demand for clean energy is significantly driving the nuclear power market, as countries increasingly recognize nuclear energy's potential to address both energy security and climate change challenges.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), global projections for nuclear energy capacity have been revised upward, anticipating a 25% increase by 2050. Nuclear power plays a crucial role in enhancing energy security and reliability, providing a stable and low-emission source of electricity that is essential for modern economies. As a baseload power source, nuclear plants operate continuously, ensuring that they can supply energy day and night, regardless of weather conditions. This reliability is underscored by nuclear power's high-capacity factor, which averages over 92%, significantly surpassing that of fossil fuels and renewable sources like wind and solar.

SMR segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

SMRs are manufactured in factories and erected on-site, which significantly reduces both the time and cost of construction. Modular production enables the quality control of enormous scales and does not suffer from delays. The flexibility of deployment is enhanced because additional reactors can be installed incrementally as the need arises, thus permitting much faster expansion and integration into the grid.

More importantly, SMRs are loaded with enhanced safety features, and one of them is the passive safety component that does not rely on the need for human intervention or external power sources. These features make reactors more accident-resistant or resilient to malfunctions that could lead to a failure type known as meltdown, which precisely is a catastrophic type of failure. This kind of safety feature accelerates its adoption by both public and regulatory support.

Off-grid segment is expected to emerge as the fastest segment by connectivity.

The off-grid segment will be driven by the need for energy access in remote and undeveloped areas, growth in the uptake of renewable energy systems, and advancements in energy storage. Increasing reliance on decentralized power solutions for disaster recovery, rural electrification, and achieving sustainable development goals propel demand further. Other key applications include off-grid systems which find interest in greenhouse gas emissions reduction and energy security improvement.

Americas to grow at the highest CAGR in the nuclear power market.

In the Americas region, the United States, Canada, and Argentina are driven by advancing investments in clean energy, advanced nuclear technologies, and integrating renewable energy. Investing in nuclear plant upgrades, targeted policies towards net-zero emissions support the US and Canada. Energy security and diversification efforts combined with government-backed initiatives play a significant role in supporting growth in Argentina.

Increased electricity demand, decarbonization policies, and an increase in energy resilience make the region's market attractive. Progresses in small modular reactors, as well as cross-border cooperation on energy, will also supplement the growth of nuclear power and renewable energy in this region.

In-depth interviews have been conducted with various key industry participants, subject-matter experts, C-level executives of key market players, and industry consultants, among other experts, to obtain and verify critical qualitative and quantitative information, as well as to assess future market prospects. The distribution of primary interviews is as follows:

• By Company Type: Tier 1 - 65%, Tier 2 - 24%, and Tier 3 - 11%
• By Designation: C-Level - 30%, Managers - 25%, and Others - 45%
• By Region: Americas - 27%, Europe - 20%, Asia Pacific - 33%, and the Middle East & Africa - 20%

Note: Others include product engineers, product specialists, and engineering leads.

Note: The tiers of the companies are defined based on their total revenues as of 2023. Tier 1: More than USD 1 billion, Tier 2: From USD 500 million to USD 1 billion, and Tier 3: Less than USD 500 million.

The State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM (Russia), EDF (France), MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD. (Japan), AtkinsRéalis (Canada), Westinghouse Electric Company LLC. (US), Rolls-Royce plc (UK), NuScale Power, LLC. (US), China National Nuclear Corporation (China), Holtec International (US), and ULTRA SAFE NUCLEAR (US) are some of the key players in the nuclear power market. The study includes an in-depth competitive analysis of these key players in the nuclear power market, with their company profiles, recent developments, and key market strategies.

Research Coverage:

The report defines, describes, and forecasts the nuclear power market by type (Nuclear power plant and Small modular reactor), by connectivity (Off-grid and Grid-connected) by Application (Power Generation, Desalination, and Industrial), by capacity (Small, Medium and Large) and by region (Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa). The scope of the report covers detailed information regarding the major factors, such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities, influencing the growth of the nuclear power market. A detailed analysis of the key industry players has been done to provide insights into their business overview, solutions, and services; key strategies; Contracts, partnerships, agreements. new product & service launches, mergers and acquisitions, and recent developments associated with the nuclear power market. Competitive analysis of upcoming startups in the nuclear power market ecosystem is covered in this report.

Key Benefits of Buying the Report

• Analysis of key drivers (Escalating Demand For Clean Energy, Increasing Nuclear Power Projects, Surging adoption of SMR technology), restraints (Requirement For High Initial Investment, Nuclear Waste Management Concerns), opportunities (Significant focus on modernizing energy infrastructure, Strengthening global partnerships to advance nuclear power), and challenges (Complex decommissioning process and high cost of modification, Risks associated with nuclear proliferation, Safety issues in nuclear power plants) influences the growth of the nuclear power market.
• Product Development/ Innovation: The developments such as the SMRs (Small Modular Reactor). SMRs are a huge innovation in the nuclear industry, envisioned to be much smaller, flexible, and scalable than the traditional reactor. They can be constructed in factories and brought to the site of installation, hence much quicker construction and reducing costs. This is prudent for places with lower energy demand or even distant regions, risking less financially but equipped with better safety features.
• Market Development: in September 2024, EDF (France) launched a Flamanville 3 reactor, marking the start of its first nuclear reaction. After months of testing, the reactor will generate a low-power stable nuclear reaction at 0.2% capacity, with plans to gradually increase power. Once it reaches 25%, the reactor will be connected to the electricity grid by autumn 2024, followed by further testing and power ramp-up.
• Market Diversification: In June 2023, Ontario Power Generation Inc. (Canada) and Bruce Power (Canada) collaborated to complete their respective refurbishment and major component replacement (MCR) projects. The Darlington Nuclear Refurbishment Project (DNRP) and the Bruce Power MCR Project are multi-year, multi-phase mega-projects that will provide the Province of Ontario with low-cost, carbon-free, and reliable electricity for 30 years and beyond.
• Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies, and service offerings of leading players like The State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM (Russia), EDF (France), MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD. (Japan), AtkinsRéalis (Canada), Westinghouse Electric Company LLC. (US), Rolls-Royce plc (UK), NuScale Power, LLC. (US), China National Nuclear Corporation (China), Holtec International (US), ULTRA SAFE NUCLEAR (US), and Seaborg Technologies (Denmark) among others in the nuclear power market.