The world's nuclear fleet in 1971
In 1971, 100 nuclear reactors were operating in 15 countries, 20.9 GWe net, with 134 under construction. 9 of those units are not included in the net capacity because no net figure has been published for them.
Compared with 1970, the operating fleet grew by 10 reactors. 15 reactors were connected to the grid that year, 7,004 MWe, mostly in Canada (3), Switzerland (2) and United Kingdom (2). 1 unit was permanently shut down, 25 MWe. Pakistan connected its first nuclear reactor in 1971. The countries with the most operating capacity were United States (8,929 MWe), United Kingdom (3,995 MWe) and France (1,919 MWe).
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Connected to the grid in 1971
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gentilly 1 |  Canada | HWLWR | CANDU-BLW-250 (HW BLWR 250) | 250 |
| Pickering A1 | Canada | PHWR | CANDU 500A | 515 |
| Pickering A2 | Canada | PHWR | CANDU 500A | 515 |
| Saint-Laurent A-2 |  France | GCR | UNGG | 465 |
| Wuergassen |  Germany | BWR | BWR-69 (AEG) | 640 |
| Karachi 1 |  Pakistan | PHWR | CANDU (KANUPP) (CANDU-137 MW) | 90 |
| Novovoronezh 1-3 |  Russia | PWR | V-179 | 385 |
| Santa Maria De Garona |  Spain | BWR | BWR-3 | 446 |
| Oskarshamn 1 |  Sweden | BWR | ASEA-Atom BWR, generation I (AA-I) | 473 |
| Beznau 2 |  Switzerland | PWR | Westinghouse 2-loop (WH 2LP) | 365 |
| Muehleberg 1 | Switzerland | BWR | BWR-4 | 373 |
| Wylfa 1 |  United Kingdom | GCR | Magnox | 490 |
| Wylfa 2 | United Kingdom | GCR | Magnox | 490 |
| Dresden 3 |  United States | BWR | GE BWR/3, Mark I containment (BWR-3 (Mark 1)) | 879 |
| Monticello | United States | BWR | GE BWR/3, Mark I containment (BWR-3 (Mark 1)) | 628 |
Shut down in 1971
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe | Grid connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Großwelzheim | Germany | BWR | Superheated steam reactor (HDR) (Superheated steam reactor) | 25 | 1970 |
Countries by operating capacity in 1971
| # | Country | Reactors | MWe | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 25 | 8,929 | 60 |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 28 | 3,995 | 12 |
| 3 | France | 9 | 1,919 | 3 |
| 4 | Canada | 4 | 1,258 | 5 |
| 5 |  Japan | 5 | 1,248 | 8 |
| 6 | Germany | 7 | 902 | 9 |
| 7 | Russia | 10 | 786 | 11 |
| 8 | Spain | 2 | 587 | 1 |
| 9 |  Italy | 3 | 563 | 1 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 1 | 365 | 2 |
| 11 |  India | 2 | 300 | 3 |
| 12 |  Netherlands | 1 | 55 | 1 |
| 13 |  Belgium | 1 | 10 | 3 |
| 14 | Sweden | 1 | 10 | 5 |
| 15 |  Argentina | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 |  Armenia | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 |  Brazil | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 |  Bulgaria | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 |  Finland | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Pakistan | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 |  Panama | 1 | 0 | — |
| 23 |  Slovakia | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 |  Ukraine | 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.