Timeline · 1959
The world's nuclear fleet in 1959
In 1959, 17 nuclear reactors were operating in 4 countries, 472 MWe net, with 32 under construction. 6 of those units are not included in the net capacity because no net figure has been published for them.
Compared with 1958, the operating fleet grew by 5 reactors. 5 reactors were connected to the grid that year, 233 MWe, mostly in United Kingdom (4) and France (1). The countries with the most operating capacity were United Kingdom (344 MWe), United States (84 MWe) and France (39 MWe).
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Connected to the grid in 1959
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcoule G2 |  France | GCR | unknown | 39 |
| Calder Hall 4 |  United Kingdom | GCR | Magnox | 50 |
| Chapelcross 1 | United Kingdom | GCR | Magnox | 48 |
| Chapelcross 2 | United Kingdom | GCR | Magnox | 48 |
| Chapelcross 3 | United Kingdom | GCR | Magnox | 48 |
Countries by operating capacity in 1959
| # | Country | Reactors | MWe | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | 7 | 344 | 13 |
| 2 |  United States | 5 | 84 | 7 |
| 3 | France | 2 | 39 | 3 |
| 4 |  Russia | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 5 |  Belgium | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 |  Canada | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 |  Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 |  Italy | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 |  Slovakia | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 |  Sweden | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Data: Global Energy Monitor (CC BY 4.0), IAEA PRIS 2025, Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons. Capacities in net MWe unless stated.