The world's nuclear fleet in 1979
In 1979, 225 nuclear reactors were operating in 23 countries, 118.8 GWe net, with 192 under construction. 6 of those units are not included in the net capacity because no net figure has been published for them.
Compared with 1978, the operating fleet grew by 18 reactors. 8 reactors were connected to the grid that year, 6,985 MWe, mostly in France (2), Germany (2) and Russia (2). 1 unit was permanently shut down, 880 MWe. The countries with the most operating capacity were United States (52,401 MWe), Japan (14,428 MWe) and Germany (9,597 MWe).
That year: Three Mile Island. Partial core meltdown at TMI-2, United States.
← Previous year, 1978 · Next year, 1980 → · See this year on the map · Today's rankings
Connected to the grid in 1979
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bugey 4 |  France | PWR | CP0 | 880 |
| Bugey 5 | France | PWR | CP0 | 880 |
| Greifswald 4 |  Germany | PWR | VVER-440 (V-230) | 408 |
| Philippsburg 1 | Germany | BWR | KWU BWR, '69 design line (BWR-69) | 890 |
| Fukushima Daiichi 6 |  Japan | BWR | BWR-5 | 1,067 |
| Kursk 1-2 |  Russia | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | 925 |
| Leningrad 1-3 | Russia | LWGR | RBMK-1000 | 925 |
| Goesgen |  Switzerland | PWR | Siemens-KWU 3-loop (PWR 3LP) | 1,010 |
Shut down in 1979
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe | Grid connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Mile Island 2 |  United States | PWR | B & W (DRY) | 880 | 1978 |
Countries by operating capacity in 1979
| # | Country | Reactors | MWe | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 67 | 52,401 | 53 |
| 2 | Japan | 22 | 14,428 | 5 |
| 3 | Germany | 18 | 9,597 | 11 |
| 4 | France | 15 | 6,979 | 35 |
| 5 |  United Kingdom | 33 | 6,658 | 6 |
| 6 | Russia | 22 | 6,122 | 10 |
| 7 |  Canada | 10 | 5,498 | 10 |
| 8 |  Sweden | 6 | 4,044 | 5 |
| 9 | Switzerland | 4 | 2,113 | 1 |
| 10 |  Belgium | 4 | 1,862 | 4 |
| 11 |  Ukraine | 2 | 1,665 | 5 |
| 12 |  Finland | 2 | 1,397 | 2 |
| 13 |  Taiwan | 2 | 1,208 | 4 |
| 14 |  Spain | 3 | 1,067 | 6 |
| 15 |  Bulgaria | 2 | 816 | 2 |
| 16 |  South Korea | 1 | 576 | 3 |
| 17 |  Italy | 3 | 563 | 1 |
| 18 |  Netherlands | 2 | 537 | — |
| 19 |  India | 3 | 434 | 5 |
| 20 |  Armenia | 1 | 376 | 1 |
| 21 |  Argentina | 1 | 335 | 1 |
| 22 |  Pakistan | 1 | 90 | — |
| 23 |  Kazakhstan | 1 | 52 | — |
| 24 |  Brazil | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 25 |  Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 26 |  Hungary | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 27 |  Iran | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 |  Lithuania | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 29 |  Mexico | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 30 |  Philippines | 0 | 0 | — |
| 31 |  Slovakia | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 32 |  Slovenia | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 |  South Africa | 0 | 0 | 2 |
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.