A total of 442 nuclear power plants were operating around the world in 1996, based on data reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Power Reactor Information System (PRIS). During 1996, five nuclear power plants representing 5717 MW(e) net electric capacity were connected to the grid in France, Japan (2), Romania and USA. In April 1997, one more reactor, Wolsong 2 in the Republic of Korea, 650 MW(e) was connected to the grid, so that the actual figure of operating reactors in the world to date is 443.
Additionally, construction of three new nuclear reactors started in 1996 - two at Qinshan in China, and one at Onagawa in Japan - bringing the total number of nuclear reactors reported as being under construction to 36 in 14 countries.
Nuclear power's share of electricity production remained high in 1996, in nine countries: Lithuania, 83.4%; France, 77.4%; Belgium, 57.2%; Sweden, 52.4%; Slovak Republic, 44.5%; Switzerland, 44.5%; Ukraine, 43.8%; Bulgaria, 42.4%; Hungary, 40.8%. All in all, 17 countries and Taiwan, China relied upon nuclear power plants to supply at least a quarter of their total electricity needs.
Worldwide in 1996, total nuclear generated electricity grew to 2300 Terawatt-hours. This is more than the world's total electricity generation - 1912 Terawatt-hours - from all sources in 1958. Overall nuclear power plants provided approximately 17 percent of the world's electricity production in 1996. Cumulative worldwide operating experience from civil nuclear reactors at the end of 1996 was over 8135 years.
Table showing the electricity supplied by nuclear power reactors in 1996 and the respective percentage of electricity produced by nuclear energy is attached.