Nuclear power plant shutdowns 2022

The annual number of permanent nuclear reactor shutdowns fluctuated between 2005 and 2022. In the latter year, there were 4 shutdowns worldwide, of which three were in the United Kingdom (UK) and one in the United States (U.S.)

Nuclear reactor retirement

In general, nuclear power plants have an operating lifetime spanning between 20 and 40 years. In fact, more than 70 percent of nuclear reactors shutdown worldwide had an age of at least 20 years at the time of closure. Overall, more than half of cumulative nuclear reactors shutdown until May 2022 were concentrated in only three countries, namely the U.S., the UK, and Germany.

Reaction to Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster

Following the nuclear accident in Japan in March 2011, four reactors at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were shut down permanently. Since the following year, there were more than 60 permanent nuclear reactor shutdowns around the world. Many of these shutdowns were in response to the Fukushima disaster, which occurred when an earthquake and a tsunami struck the region, causing equipment failure and three nuclear meltdowns. This was the only event aside from the Chernobyl disaster that was classified as a Level 7 event by the International Nuclear Event Scale, which communicates important safety information of nuclear accidents. The disaster prompted much of the public to question the safety of nuclear energy, and led many countries to accelerate plans for nuclear power plant shutdowns.