The combined result of 13 EU countries is the lowest level recorded since 1990, the first year for which comparable data is available for all EU countries. Despite this significant decline, European nuclear power plants account for over one fifth (21.8%) total electricity production in the EU.
Maintenance and repair of reactors in France
Numerous maintenance and repairs of nuclear reactors have had a significant impact on the decline in nuclear energy production France,the largest EU producer of nuclear energy in the European Union. In 2022, French nuclear power plants produced 84,630 GWh less electricity than in 2021. This means a decrease of 22%.
In addition to renovations of aging French reactors, there is also a drop in production capacity to add withdrawal of reactors from production in Germany and Belgium. Germany permanently shut down three of its reactors on the last day of 2021, halving its nuclear energy production (from 69,130 GWh in 2021 to 34,709 GWh in 2022). The reactor in Belgium was shut down in September 2022.
At that time, only one new reactor in Finland was added to the overall fleet of operating nuclear power plants. At the end of 2022, there were 103 nuclear reactors operating in the EU compared to 106 at the end of 2021.
The largest suppliers of nuclear energy
Despite numerous technical problems resulting in production downtime, almost half of the total nuclear energy in the EU (48.4%) was produced by France. In 2022, French reactors produced 294,731 GWh.
It was the second largest producer of nuclear energy Spain with a share of 9.6%, or 58,590 GWh. Next is this Sweden (8.5% or 51,944 GWh) i Belgium (7.2% or 43,879 GWh).
These four countries together produced 73.7 percent. total electricity from nuclear sources in the EU.
Nuclear energy production in Europe / eurostat
Countries most dependent on nuclear power
In the European Union, France remains the country most dependent on nuclear energy. In 2022, 62.8% came from nuclear power plants. all electricity generated in the country.
It was the second country highly dependent on nuclear energy Slovakia. Our southern neighbors have almost 60 percent. electricity generated came from nuclear power.
Among the countries that have nuclear power plants, but their share in the overall energy mix is the smallest, there is the Netherlands, with the share of nuclear energy in total production at the level of 3.4%. and Germany, where only 6 percent energy came from nuclear reactors.
Poland is still waiting for its first nuclear reactor.
