The world's nuclear fleet in 1988
In 1988, 414 nuclear reactors were operating in 31 countries, 312.1 GWe net, with 79 under construction. 6 of those units are not included in the net capacity because no net figure has been published for them.
Compared with 1987, the operating fleet grew by 16 reactors. 14 reactors were connected to the grid that year, 13,885 MWe, mostly in United Kingdom (3), France (2) and Germany (2). 4 units were permanently shut down, 1,666 MWe. The countries with the most operating capacity were United States (103,342 MWe), France (50,030 MWe) and Japan (26,844 MWe).
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Connected to the grid in 1988
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belleville 2 |  France | PWR | P4 REP 1300 | 1,310 |
| Nogent 2 | France | PWR | P4 REP 1300 | 1,310 |
| Emsland |  Germany | PWR | Konvoi (Siemens-KWU) (Konvoi) | 1,335 |
| Isar 2 | Germany | PWR | Konvoi (Siemens-KWU) (Konvoi) | 1,410 |
| Shimane 2 |  Japan | BWR | BWR-5 | 789 |
| Tomari 1 | Japan | PWR | Mitsubishi 2-loop (M 2LP) | 550 |
| Balakovo 3 |  Russia | PWR | VVER-1000 (V-320) | 950 |
| Hanul 1 |  South Korea | PWR | Framatome CP1 (CP1) | 953 |
| Trillo 1 |  Spain | PWR | Siemens-KWU 3-loop (PWR 3LP) | 1,003 |
| Heysham B1 |  United Kingdom | GCR | AGR | 620 |
| Heysham B2 | United Kingdom | GCR | AGR | 620 |
| Torness 1 | United Kingdom | GCR | AGR | 595 |
| Braidwood 2 |  United States | PWR | Westinghouse 4-loop (WH 4LP) | 1,160 |
| South Texas 1 | United States | PWR | Westinghouse 4-loop (WH 4LP) | 1,280 |
Shut down in 1988
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe | Grid connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVR Reactor | Germany | HTGR | Pebble bed reactor prototype (AVR) (Pebble bed reactor prototype) | 13 | 1967 |
| Muelheim-Kaerlich | Germany | PWR | B & W | 1,219 | 1986 |
| THTR-300 | Germany | HTGR | Pebble bed reactor (THTR-300) (Pebble bed reactor) | 296 | 1985 |
| Berkeley 2 | United Kingdom | GCR | Magnox | 138 | 1962 |
Countries by operating capacity in 1988
| # | Country | Reactors | MWe | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 110 | 103,342 | 8 |
| 2 | France | 53 | 50,030 | 11 |
| 3 | Japan | 36 | 26,844 | 9 |
| 4 | Germany | 25 | 22,517 | 2 |
| 5 | Russia | 34 | 17,505 | 7 |
| 6 |  Canada | 18 | 11,897 | 4 |
| 7 |  Sweden | 12 | 11,056 | — |
| 8 |  Ukraine | 13 | 10,947 | 7 |
| 9 | Spain | 10 | 8,190 | — |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 33 | 7,636 | 9 |
| 11 | South Korea | 8 | 6,744 | 1 |
| 12 |  Belgium | 7 | 5,922 | — |
| 13 |  Taiwan | 6 | 5,052 | — |
| 14 |  Switzerland | 5 | 3,346 | — |
| 15 |  Finland | 4 | 2,794 | — |
| 16 |  Bulgaria | 5 | 2,635 | 1 |
| 17 |  Lithuania | 2 | 2,370 | — |
| 18 |  Czech Republic | 4 | 1,916 | 2 |
| 19 |  Hungary | 4 | 1,916 | — |
| 20 |  South Africa | 2 | 1,854 | — |
| 21 |  Slovakia | 4 | 1,748 | 4 |
| 22 |  Italy | 2 | 1,120 | — |
| 23 |  India | 6 | 1,031 | 4 |
| 24 |  Argentina | 2 | 943 | 1 |
| 25 |  Armenia | 2 | 792 | — |
| 26 |  Slovenia | 1 | 696 | — |
| 27 |  Brazil | 1 | 609 | 1 |
| 28 |  Netherlands | 2 | 537 | — |
| 29 |  Pakistan | 1 | 90 | — |
| 30 |  Kazakhstan | 1 | 52 | — |
| 31 |  North Korea | 1 | 5 | — |
| 32 |  China | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 33 |  Iran | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 |  Mexico | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 |  Philippines | 0 | 0 | — |
| 36 |  Romania | 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.