Nuclear power is set to play a bigger role in the global energy mix than previously forecast, according to new data discussed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) governing board in Vienna on Tuesday. IAEA projections had also risen in the previous two years, as more and more countries showed interest in atomic energy despite the global economic crisis, according to dpa. Up to 10.4 per cent of global electricity will come from nuclear reactors by 2030, the Vienna-based agency said, higher than last year's estimate of up to 9 per cent. The organization for the first time also made projections for 2050, foreseeing a maximum share of 11.9 per cent. There are currently 60 nuclear power reactors under construction world-wide, a figure that nearly doubled in the last two and a half years. Since 2008, the number of countries interested in introducing nuclear energy or actively pursuing this has risen from 43 to 65. Most of these are Asian and African countries. At the same time, the number of countries planning to phase out their reactors has dropped. The 372 gigawatts of nuclear energy produced last year accounted for 7.6 per cent of global electric energy.
