The world's nuclear fleet in 1972
In 1972, 116 nuclear reactors were operating in 17 countries, 30.4 GWe net, with 142 under construction. 8 of those units are not included in the net capacity because no net figure has been published for them.
Compared with 1971, the operating fleet grew by 16 reactors. 16 reactors were connected to the grid that year, 9,484 MWe, mostly in United States (8), Canada (1) and France (1). 3 units were permanently shut down, 65 MWe. Slovakia connected its first nuclear reactor in 1972. The countries with the most operating capacity were United States (13,274 MWe), United Kingdom (4,485 MWe) and France (2,459 MWe).
← Previous year, 1971 · Next year, 1973 → · See this year on the map · Today's rankings
Connected to the grid in 1972
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickering A3 |  Canada | PHWR | CANDU 500A | 515 |
| Bugey 1 |  France | GCR | UNGG | 540 |
| Stade |  Germany | PWR | Siemens | 640 |
| Rajasthan 1 |  India | PHWR | Horizontal Pressure Tube type | 134 |
| Mihama 2 |  Japan | PWR | Mitsubishi 2-loop (M 2LP) | 470 |
| Novovoronezh 1-4 |  Russia | PWR | V-179 | 385 |
| Bohunice A1 |  Slovakia | HWGCR | KS 150 | 93 |
| Vandellos 1 |  Spain | GCR | UNGG | 480 |
| Maine Yankee |  United States | PWR | CE (DRY) | 860 |
| Pilgrim 1 | United States | BWR | GE BWR/3, Mark I containment (BWR-3 (Mark 1)) | 677 |
| Point Beach 2 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 2-loop (WH 2LP) | 591 |
| Quad Cities 1 | United States | BWR | GE BWR/3, Mark I containment (BWR-3 (Mark 1)) | 908 |
| Quad Cities 2 | United States | BWR | GE BWR/3, Mark I containment (BWR-3 (Mark 1)) | 911 |
| Surry 1 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 3-loop (WH 3LP) | 838 |
| Turkey Point nuclear power station 3 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 3-loop (WH 3LP) | 837 |
| Vermont Yankee | United States | BWR | GE BWR/4, Mark I containment (BWR-4 (Mark 1)) | 605 |
Shut down in 1972
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe | Grid connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fermi 1 | United States | FBR | Liquid-metal-cooled FBR (Liquid Metal FBR) | 60 | 1966 |
| Saxton | United States | PWR | unknown | 3 | 1967 |
| SM-1A | United States | PWR | unknown | 2 | 1962 |
Countries by operating capacity in 1972
| # | Country | Reactors | MWe | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 28 | 13,274 | 58 |
| 2 |  United Kingdom | 29 | 4,485 | 11 |
| 3 | France | 10 | 2,459 | 4 |
| 4 | Canada | 6 | 2,023 | 5 |
| 5 | Japan | 6 | 1,718 | 12 |
| 6 | Germany | 8 | 1,542 | 14 |
| 7 | Russia | 11 | 1,171 | 11 |
| 8 |  Switzerland | 3 | 1,103 | — |
| 9 | Spain | 3 | 1,067 | — |
| 10 |  Italy | 3 | 563 | 1 |
| 11 |  Sweden | 2 | 483 | 5 |
| 12 | India | 2 | 300 | 4 |
| 13 | Slovakia | 1 | 93 | 2 |
| 14 |  Pakistan | 1 | 90 | — |
| 15 |  Netherlands | 1 | 55 | 1 |
| 16 |  Belgium | 1 | 10 | 3 |
| 17 |  Argentina | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 |  Armenia | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 |  Brazil | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  Bulgaria | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 |  Finland | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 |  Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 |  Panama | 1 | 0 | — |
| 24 |  South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 |  Taiwan | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 |  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.