The world's nuclear fleet in 1988
In 1988, 422 nuclear reactors were operating in 34 countries, 313.5 GWe net, with 79 under construction.
Compared with 1987, the operating fleet grew by 15 reactors. 14 reactors were connected to the grid that year, 13,885 MWe, mostly in United Kingdom (3), France (2) and Germany (2). 5 units were permanently shut down, 1,863 MWe. The countries with the most operating capacity were United States (103,370 MWe), France (50,078 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 (KWU) | 1,335 |
| Isar 2 | Germany | PWR | Konvoi (KWU) | 1,410 |
| Shimane 2 |  Japan | BWR | BWR-5 | 789 |
| Tomari 1 | Japan | PWR | Mitsubishi (2-loop) | 550 |
| Balakovo 3 |  Russia | PWR | VVER-1000/V-320 | 950 |
| Hanul 1 |  South Korea | PWR | CP1 (France) | 953 |
| Trillo 1 |  Spain | PWR | KWU 3 loops | 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 | WH 4-loop (DRY) | 1,160 |
| South Texas 1 | United States | PWR | WH 4-loop (DRY) | 1,280 |
Shut down in 1988
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe | Grid connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVR Reactor | Germany | HTGR | PBR Prototype | 13 | 1967 |
| Muelheim-Kaerlich | Germany | PWR | B & W | 1,219 | 1986 |
| THTR-300 | Germany | HTGR | — | 296 | 1985 |
| Novovoronezh 1-1 | Russia | PWR | VVER V-210 | 197 | 1964 |
| Berkeley 2 | United Kingdom | GCR | Magnox | 138 | 1962 |
Countries by operating capacity in 1988
| # | Country | Reactors | MWe | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 114 | 103,370 | 8 |
| 2 | France | 54 | 50,078 | 11 |
| 3 | Japan | 36 | 26,844 | 9 |
| 4 | Germany | 25 | 22,517 | 2 |
| 5 | Russia | 34 | 18,106 | 7 |
| 6 |  Canada | 18 | 11,897 | 5 |
| 7 |  Sweden | 12 | 11,052 | — |
| 8 |  Ukraine | 13 | 10,947 | 7 |
| 9 | Spain | 10 | 8,190 | — |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 33 | 7,666 | 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 |  Hungary | 4 | 1,916 | — |
| 19 |  Czech Republic | 4 | 1,907 | 2 |
| 20 |  South Africa | 2 | 1,854 | — |
| 21 |  Slovakia | 4 | 1,748 | 4 |
| 22 |  Italy | 2 | 1,120 | — |
| 23 |  India | 6 | 1,031 | 3 |
| 24 |  Argentina | 2 | 948 | 1 |
| 25 |  Armenia | 2 | 792 | — |
| 26 |  Slovenia | 1 | 696 | — |
| 27 |  Philippines | 1 | 621 | — |
| 28 |  Brazil | 1 | 609 | 1 |
| 29 |  Netherlands | 2 | 537 | — |
| 30 |  Pakistan | 1 | 90 | — |
| 31 |  Kazakhstan | 1 | 52 | — |
| 32 | Puerto Rico | 1 | 18 | — |
| 33 | Panama | 1 | 10 | — |
| 34 |  North Korea | 1 | 5 | — |
| 35 |  China | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 36 |  Iran | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 |  Mexico | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 38 |  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.
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