Nuclear power plants, world-wide

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On December 20, 1951, at the Experimental Breeder Reactor EBR-I in Arco, Idaho, USA, for the first time electricity - illuminating four light bulbs - was produced by nuclear energy. EBR-I was not designed to produce electricity but to validate the breeder reactor concept.

First electricity production by nuclear energy
Experimental Breeder Reactor EBR-I, 20 Dec.1951, Arco, Idaho, USA

On June 26, 1954, at Obninsk, Russia, the nuclear power plant APS-1 with a net electrical output of 5 MW was connected to the power grid, the world's first nuclear power plant that generated electricity for commercial use. On August 27, 1956 the first commercial nuclear power plant, Calder Hall 1, Eng-land, with a net electrical output of 50 MW was connected to the national grid.

As of 30 March 2012 in 31 countries 436 nuclear power plant units with an installed electric net capacity of about 370 GW are in operation and 63 plants with an installed capacity of 60 GW are in 15 countries under construction.

As of end 2010 the total electricity production since 1951 amounts to 67,240 billion kWh. The cumulative operating experience amounted to 14,767 years by March 2012.

Nuclear power plants world-wide, in operation and under construction, as of 30 March 2012

Number of reactors in operation, worldwide, 2012-03-30 (IAEA 2012, modified)

Nuclear power plants under construction, 2012-03-30 (IAEA 2012, modified)

Nuclear share in electricity generation, 2010 (IAEA 2012, modified)

Number of nuclear reactors worldwide by age as of 2012-03-30 (IAEA 2012)

Nuclear Power Plants, energy availability factor 1991 - 2010 (IAEA 2012)

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