coal and nuclear . Though an operating NPP can provide up to nine times more electricity per installed kilowatt than a photovoltaic plant , the challenge to the industry from renewables is tangible . China ’ s massive rates of solar capacity deliver over 50GW to its grid . Even when taking into account lower productivity per installed GW from solar , research shows new solar plants in China alone in 2017 will generate significantly more power than all nuclear reactors started up ( four ) in the same year in the entire world .
Construction delays are common due to a number of factors , including political upheaval ( the US embargo caused a 15-year delay to Iran ’ s first NPP in Bushehr before construction resumed in 1995 ) and the type of prolonged protest experienced during the delivery of India ’ s largest NPP . The progress of the Kundankulam NPP ( KNPP ) was besieged by various activist groups over potential radiation threats and issues related to nuclear waste disposal , with the anti-Kudankulam campaign intensifying following the Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan in 2011 .
Decommissioning is also a factor in construction slowdown . Globally , three
2017 NPP OVERVIEW
Last year saw four reactor startups ( 12 less than scheduled ), three shutdowns , four construction starts and two abandoned constructions . Meanwhile , the bankruptcy of Westinghouse ( historically the world ’ s largest nuclear builder ) and bailout and breakup of AREVA highlighted the significant financial and economic pressure on nuclear operators . Five new reactors entered long-term outage , and three were restarted . Globally , 405 reactors were operating ( one less than 2016 ) while 52 were under construction ( down three ).
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