The world's nuclear fleet in 1973
In 1973, 129 nuclear reactors were operating in 18 countries, 38.8 GWe net, with 153 under construction. 7 of those units are not included in the net capacity because no net figure has been published for them.
Compared with 1972, the operating fleet grew by 13 reactors. 20 reactors were connected to the grid that year, 12,858 MWe, mostly in United States (10), Germany (2) and Japan (2). 2 units were permanently shut down, 72 MWe. Kazakhstan connected its first nuclear reactor in 1973. The countries with the most operating capacity were United States (19,643 MWe), United Kingdom (4,485 MWe) and Canada (2,538 MWe).
← Previous year, 1972 · Next year, 1974 → · See this year on the map · Today's rankings
Connected to the grid in 1973
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickering A4 |  Canada | PHWR | CANDU 500A | 515 |
| Phenix |  France | FBR | PH-250 | 130 |
| Greifswald 1 |  Germany | PWR | VVER-440 (V-230) | 408 |
| Niederaichbach 1 | Germany | HWGCR | pressure tube reactor | 100 |
| Fukushima Daiichi 2 |  Japan | BWR | BWR-4 | 760 |
| Shimane 1 | Japan | BWR | BWR-3 | 439 |
| Aktau |  Kazakhstan | FBR | BN-350 | 52 |
| Borssele 1 |  Netherlands | PWR | KWU 2LP | 482 |
| Kola 1-1 |  Russia | PWR | VVER-440 (V-230) | 411 |
| Leningrad 1-1 | Russia | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | 925 |
| Browns Ferry 1 |  United States | BWR | GE BWR/4, Mark I containment (BWR-4 (Mark 1)) | 1,200 |
| Fort Calhoun 1 | United States | PWR | Combustion Engineering 2-loop (CE 2LP) | 482 |
| Indian Point 2 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 4-loop (WH 4LP) | 998 |
| Oconee 1 | United States | PWR | Babcock & Wilcox lowered-loop (B&W LLP) | 847 |
| Oconee 2 | United States | PWR | Babcock & Wilcox lowered-loop (B&W LLP) | 848 |
| Prairie Island 1 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 2-loop (WH 2LP) | 522 |
| Surry 2 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 3-loop (WH 3LP) | 838 |
| Turkey Point nuclear power station 4 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 3-loop (WH 3LP) | 821 |
| Zion 1 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 4-loop (WH 4LP) | 1,040 |
| Zion 2 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 4-loop (WH 4LP) | 1,040 |
Shut down in 1973
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe | Grid connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinon A-1 | France | GCR | UNGG | 70 | 1963 |
| SM-1 | United States | PWR | unknown | 2 | 1957 |
Countries by operating capacity in 1973
| # | Country | Reactors | MWe | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 35 | 19,643 | 57 |
| 2 |  United Kingdom | 29 | 4,485 | 11 |
| 3 | Canada | 7 | 2,538 | 4 |
| 4 | France | 9 | 2,389 | 5 |
| 5 | Russia | 13 | 1,967 | 11 |
| 6 | Japan | 6 | 1,718 | 16 |
| 7 | Germany | 9 | 1,642 | 13 |
| 8 |  Switzerland | 3 | 1,103 | 1 |
| 9 |  Spain | 3 | 1,067 | 2 |
| 10 |  Italy | 3 | 563 | 1 |
| 11 | Netherlands | 2 | 537 | — |
| 12 |  Sweden | 2 | 483 | 8 |
| 13 |  India | 3 | 434 | 3 |
| 14 |  Slovakia | 1 | 93 | 2 |
| 15 |  Pakistan | 1 | 90 | — |
| 16 | Kazakhstan | 1 | 52 | — |
| 17 |  Belgium | 1 | 10 | 3 |
| 18 |  Argentina | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 |  Armenia | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  Brazil | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 |  Bulgaria | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 22 |  Finland | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 |  Panama | 1 | 0 | — |
| 24 |  South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 |  Taiwan | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 26 |  Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 4 |
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.