Despite enthusiasm, nuclear sector is stagnating

ON September 19, the annual report that I look forward to the most every year was released: the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2024 (WNISR 2024). The report, which has been produced every year since 1992, contains an enormous volume of information; this year's edition filled 513 pages.

The WNISR is considered highly authoritative and is the go-to resource for people in the nuclear energy space. For example, you can find references to it in work by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The WNISR's credibility comes from its generally agnostic perspective, which it achieves by recruiting a mix of authors — some with "green" proclivities, others who are strong advocates of nuclear energy, and still others who are data scientists and security researchers with neutral points of view. The report is also as up-to-date as it possibly can be; much of the data presented has a validity date of July 1, 2024, and so is only three months old.