The IAEA's Infrastructure Sector Gift

Japan's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the world's largest nuclear power station, received restart approval in December 2025. Unit 7 is scheduled to begin operations on 20 January 2026. This marks the first TEPCO reactor to restart since the Fukushima accident in 2011. Meanwhile, Michigan's Palisades plant, the first US reactor to return from decommissioning status, now targets early 2026 commercial operation.

How do serious infrastructure analysts track these developments? They start with PRIS.

The IAEA's Power Reactor Information System represents five decades of operational nuclear data. Monthly production and power loss records stretch back to 1970. For investors, grid operators, and infrastructure planners navigating the nuclear renaissance, PRIS provides the foundation that no commercial database matches.

Consider the numbers. As of January 2026, PRIS tracks approximately 417 operational reactors across 32 countries with combined capacity exceeding 377 GW. The database includes every construction start, every grid connection, every shutdown, and every restart since the industry's commercial birth.

This matters because nuclear infrastructure decisions involve £10bn to £20bn ($12.7bn to £25.4bn, €12bn to €24bn) capital commitments. The World Nuclear Association reports 2024 achieved a global average capacity factor of 83%. Such performance metrics, verified across thousands of reactor-years, create investment-grade benchmarks impossible to fabricate.

PRIS data reveals something remarkable. The nuclear restart pipeline has never been this active.

Palisades in Michigan returned to operating status in August 2025, becoming the first US reactor to reverse decommissioning. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa in Japan received prefectural assembly approval in December 2025 after 14 years offline. Japan has now restarted 14 of its 33 operable reactors since Fukushima.

The pattern extends to France. Flamanville's EPR achieved commercial operation on 21 December 2024. While construction took 17 years, the reactor now adds 1,650 MW to Europe's largest nuclear fleet.

Each restart represents operational data flowing into PRIS. Capacity factors, unplanned outages, maintenance patterns. This information guides fleet management decisions worth billions.

PRIS construction data exposes stark regional differences that shape strategic planning.

China recorded an average construction time of 6.3 years between 2015 and 2024, according to analysis of PRIS data. The fastest build took just 4.1 years. Compare this to the global average of 9.4 years.

The UAE's Barakah programme demonstrates what focused execution achieves. Construction began in 2012. Unit 4 entered commercial operation in September 2024. Four APR-1400 reactors now supply 25% of the UAE's electricity. PRIS tracks each unit's grid connection, providing benchmarks for nations considering similar programmes.

Western projects tell a different story. France's Flamanville began construction in December 2007. Initial cost estimates of £2.6bn ($3.3bn, €3.3bn) ballooned to approximately £10.4bn ($13.2bn, €13.2bn). The UK's Hinkley Point C continues construction delays. PRIS captures these realities without editorial comment, letting the data speak.

Here is where PRIS data becomes strategically essential.

The global nuclear fleet averages 32 years in age. In advanced economies, the average reaches 36 years. Nearly 35% of operational capacity, some 168 reactors representing 136 GW, has operated for over 40 years.

The UK faces this challenge acutely. EDF announced in December 2024 that Heysham 1 and Hartlepool would operate until March 2027. Heysham 2 and Torness received extensions to March 2030. After these Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor closures, only Sizewell B remains until Hinkley Point C completes.

This creates planning urgency. PRIS shows when capacity retires. Infrastructure investors see replacement windows. Grid planners identify reliability gaps. The database transforms abstract discussions into concrete timelines.

The database offers capabilities that commercial alternatives struggle to match.

Investment-grade operational data. When due diligence teams assess nuclear opportunities, PRIS provides verified performance histories. A reactor claiming 90% capacity factor can be checked against decades of records.

Trend analysis across fleet types. Pressurised Water Reactors perform differently from Boiling Water Reactors. PRIS tracks these distinctions across global deployments. Korea's APR-1400 fleet shows different patterns than France's EPR programme.

Construction milestone verification. Every "first concrete" date, every "first criticality," every "grid connection" is documented. Claims about construction timelines face historical scrutiny.

Our platform at atlas.vistergy.com integrates PRIS reference data as our foundation layer. We add satellite monitoring and geospatial analysis, but the operational baseline comes from the IAEA's gift to the infrastructure sector.

Three principles should guide infrastructure analysts using PRIS this year.

Start every nuclear assessment with PRIS verification. Before accepting any capacity claim, construction timeline, or performance metric, check the primary source. The database is free, comprehensive, and authoritative.

Watch the restart pipeline. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa's January restart adds 8.2 GW of potential capacity to global availability. Palisades returns 800 MW to the US Midwest. Each restart changes regional power dynamics.

Map the replacement imperative. Identify which reactors face retirement in your target markets. The UK, Belgium, and parts of Japan face near-term capacity gaps. These gaps create opportunities for those positioned to fill them.

The IAEA has spent 55 years building the world's most comprehensive nuclear operations database. In an era when hyperscalers seek 24/7 clean power and grid operators struggle with intermittency, PRIS represents infrastructure intelligence that no private entity could replicate.

Those who ignore PRIS rely on press releases and promotional materials. Those who master it understand where nuclear power actually stands, where it's heading, and where the arbitrage opportunities emerge. In 2026, that distinction separates informed capital from speculative bets.

Next week: Why 80% of Datacenter Handovers Fail (And What Survivors Do Differently)

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