The world's nuclear fleet in 1996
In 1996, 441 nuclear reactors were operating in 33 countries, 356.9 GWe net, with 36 under construction. 2 of those units are not included in the net capacity because no net figure has been published for them.
Compared with 1995, the operating fleet grew by 3 reactors. 6 reactors were connected to the grid that year, 7,064 MWe, mostly in Japan (3), France (1) and Romania (1). 2 units were permanently shut down, 1,300 MWe. Romania connected its first nuclear reactor in 1996. The countries with the most operating capacity were United States (107,430 MWe), France (58,470 MWe) and Japan (41,182 MWe).
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Connected to the grid in 1996
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chooz B-1 |  France | PWR | N4 REP 1450 | 1,500 |
| Genkai 4 |  Japan | PWR | Mitsubishi 4-loop (M 4LP) | 1,127 |
| Kashiwazaki Kariwa 6 | Japan | BWR | ABWR | 1,315 |
| Kashiwazaki Kariwa 7 | Japan | BWR | ABWR | 1,315 |
| Cernavodă 1 |  Romania | PHWR | CANDU 6 | 650 |
| Watts Bar 1 |  United States | PWR | Westinghouse 4-loop (WH 4LP) | 1,157 |
Shut down in 1996
| Unit | Country | Type | Model | MWe | Grid connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chernobyl 1 |  Ukraine | LWGR | RBMK-1000 (RBMK) | 740 | 1977 |
| Connecticut Yankee | United States | PWR | WH (DRY) | 560 | 1967 |
Countries by operating capacity in 1996
| # | Country | Reactors | MWe | Under construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 109 | 107,430 | 1 |
| 2 | France | 56 | 58,470 | 4 |
| 3 | Japan | 52 | 41,182 | 2 |
| 4 |  Germany | 19 | 21,476 | — |
| 5 |  Russia | 32 | 19,848 | 4 |
| 6 |  Canada | 22 | 15,409 | — |
| 7 |  United Kingdom | 35 | 12,315 | — |
| 8 | Ukraine | 14 | 12,132 | 4 |
| 9 |  Sweden | 12 | 11,056 | — |
| 10 |  South Korea | 11 | 9,645 | 5 |
| 11 |  Spain | 9 | 7,710 | — |
| 12 |  Belgium | 7 | 5,922 | — |
| 13 |  Taiwan | 6 | 5,052 | — |
| 14 |  Bulgaria | 6 | 3,638 | — |
| 15 |  Switzerland | 5 | 3,346 | — |
| 16 |  Finland | 4 | 2,794 | — |
| 17 |  Lithuania | 2 | 2,370 | — |
| 18 |  China | 3 | 2,298 | 1 |
| 19 |  Czech Republic | 4 | 1,916 | 2 |
| 20 |  Hungary | 4 | 1,916 | — |
| 21 |  South Africa | 2 | 1,854 | — |
| 22 |  India | 10 | 1,839 | 4 |
| 23 |  Slovakia | 4 | 1,748 | 4 |
| 24 |  Mexico | 2 | 1,552 | — |
| 25 |  Argentina | 2 | 943 | 1 |
| 26 |  Slovenia | 1 | 696 | — |
| 27 | Romania | 1 | 650 | 1 |
| 28 |  Brazil | 1 | 609 | 1 |
| 29 |  Netherlands | 2 | 537 | — |
| 30 |  Armenia | 1 | 416 | — |
| 31 |  Pakistan | 1 | 90 | 1 |
| 32 |  Kazakhstan | 1 | 52 | — |
| 33 |  North Korea | 1 | 5 | — |
| 34 |  Iran | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 |  Philippines | 0 | 0 | — |
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.