
The top 10 largest Nuclear power plants in the world.
This list is ranked according to the installed capacity of Nuclear power plants. Because it is difficult to compare each Nuclear power plant’s specific scale, the height, length, width, and volume cannot accurately reflect the scale of the Nuclear power plants.
The installed capacity is a good ranking criterion because the larger the installed capacity, the larger the Nuclear power plants’ scale.
The top 10 largest Nuclear power plants are updated in real-time according to the installed capacity on this page. So this ranking changes dynamically.
If a new super Nuclear power plant is built, it will be automatically inserted into the list to correct it.
10Cattenom Nuclear Power Plant

Cattenom Nuclear Power Plantis located in Grand Est in the Cattenom commune, France, on the Moselle River. between Thionville (7 km upstream) and Trier (48 km downstream). It is close to the city of Luxembourg (22 km) and Metz (32 km).
This nuclear power plant consists of 4 pressurized water reactors, all of which were built between 1979 and 1991, each generating 1300 MW, and the total Installed capacity is 5,200 MW. The power plant is a relatively modern large nuclear power plant.
In 2019, its power generation was second only to Gravelines Nuclear Power Station and Paluel Nuclear Power Plant in French.
Cattenom Nuclear Power Plant Data
- Country
- France
- Region
- Western Europe
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- Centrale nucléaire de Cattenom
- Location
- Cattenom, Moselle, Grand Est, France
- Owner(s)
- Electricite de France S.A.
- Operator(s)
- Electricite de France S.A.
- Began
- Oct-29, 1979
- Opened
- Apr-01, 1987
- Installed capacity
- 5200 MW
- Units operational
- 4 × 1300 MW
- Reactor type
- PWR
- Reactor supplier
- Framatome
- Cooling source
- Moselle River, Lac du Mirgenbach
9Paluel Nuclear Power Plant

Paluel Nuclear Power Plant is located in Normandy, France. It is 40 km from Dieppe, located in Paluel, the town of Département Seine-Maritime. It is the second largest nuclear power plant in France.
The 5,320 MW nuclear power plant was developed on a 160-hectare site on the English Channel waterfront. Employ about 300,000 people. 1,250 full-time employees. It is owned and operated by EDF and includes four 1,330MW pressurized water reactor units. Water from the English Channel is used for cooling.
EDF began construction at the Paluel nuclear power plant in 1977.
Paluel Nuclear Power Plant Data
- Country
- France
- Region
- Western Europe
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- Centrale Nucléaire de Paluel
- Location
- Paluel, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France
- Owner(s)
- Electricite de France S.A.
- Operator(s)
- Electricite de France S.A.
- Began
- Aug-15, 1977
- Opened
- Dec-01, 1985
- Installed capacity
- 5320 MW
- Units operational
- 4 × 1330 MW
- Reactor type
- PWR
- Reactor supplier
- Framatome
- Cooling source
- English Channel
8Gravelines Nuclear Power Station

Gravelines Nuclear Power Station is located on the French coast, between Calais and Dunkirk, 48km from Dover. Gravelines Nuclear Power Station has an installed capacity of 5,460MW, which is the largest nuclear power plant in France.
Owned and operated by the French state-owned utility Electricite De France (EDF), the Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant comprises six 910MW pressurised water reactors (PWR) units commissioned between 1980 and 1985.
Built on a 150ha-site in northern France, the six-reactor facility delivered its 1,000 billionth kilowatt-hour of electricity in 2010.
Gravelines Nuclear Power Station Data
- Country
- France
- Region
- Western Europe
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- Centrale Nucléaire de Gravelines
- Location
- Gravelines, Nord, France
- Operator(s)
- Electricite de France S.A.
- Began
- 1974
- Opened
- Mar-13, 1980
- Installed capacity
- 5460 MW
- Units operational
- 6 × 910 MW
- Reactor type
- PWR
- Reactor supplier
- Framatome
- Cooling source
- North sea
7Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant

Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant is located in Enerhodar, Ukraine. It is one of the many super heritages left by the Soviet Union to Ukraine and one of the largest nuclear power plants in the world.
Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant has 6 VVER-1000 pressurized light water nuclear reactors, each generating 950 MW, for a total Installed capacity of 5,700 MW.
It is owned and operated by Energoatom, the Ukrainian state nuclear power generation company, and is one of four nuclear power plants in operation in Ukraine. It produces about half of the country’s nuclear power and accounts for more than 22% of the country’s total electricity generation.
Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant Data
- Country
- Ukraine
- Region
- Eastern Europe
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- Запорізька АЕС
- Location
- Enerhodar, Ukraine
- Owner(s)
- Energoatom
- Official website
- npp.zp.ua
- Operator(s)
- Energoatom
- Began
- Apr-01, 1980
- Opened
- Dec-25, 1985
- Installed capacity
- 5700 MW
- Units operational
- 6 × 950 MW
- Reactor type
- PWR
- Reactor supplier
- Atomstroyexport
- Cooling source
- Kakhovka Reservoir
- Decommission date
- 2030
6Hanul Nuclear Power Plant

Hanul Nuclear Power Plant is located on the east coast of South Korea, in Bugu-ri, Buk-myeon, Uljin-gun, North Gyeongsang Province.
Hanul Nuclear Power Plant has 8 reactors, 6 reactors are already in use and 2 reactors are under construction. The current total installed capacity is one of the top 10 largest nuclear power plants in the world.
The nuclear power plant’s reactor construction plan is divided into two phases. The first phase of the six reactors has been completed, with a total installed capacity of 5,928 MW. It began construction on 26 January 1983, and opened its first reactor and started generating electricity on 10 September 1988.
Phase 2 has 4 reactors with a planned installed capacity of 5360MW. Construction of the first 2 reactors started on 10 July 2012 and 19 June 2013, and is currently under construction.
Hanul Nuclear Power Plant Data
- Country
- South Korea
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 한울원자력발전소
- Other name(s)
- 울진 원자력발전소, 한울원자력발전소, Ulchin Nuclear Power Complex, Uljin Nuclear Power Complex
- Location
- Bugu-ri, Buk-myeon, Uljin-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea
- Owner(s)
- Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
- Operator(s)
- Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
- Began
- Jan-26, 1983
- Opened
- Sep-10, 1988
- Installed capacity
- 5928 MW
- Units operational
- 1 × 968 MW 1 × 969 MW 2 × 997 MW 1 × 999 MW 1 × 998 MW
- Reactor type
- PWR
- Reactor supplier
- KEPCO / KHNP
- Cooling source
- Sea of Japan (East sea of Korea)
5Yangjiang Nuclear Power Station

Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant is located in Yangjiang City, Guangxi Province, on the southern coast of China. It is the largest nuclear power plant in China.
The total installed capacity of this power station is 6,000 MW, with a total of six 1000MW reactors. It total cost CNY 70 billion (US$10.2 billion).
It belongs to Guangdong Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company (GNPJVC) and is operated and managed by Yangjiang Nuclear Power Company.
Yangjiang Nuclear Power Station Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 阳江核电站
- Location
- Dongpingzhen, Yangjiang, Guangdong
- Owner(s)
- Guangdong Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company (GNPJVC)
- Operator(s)
- Yangjiang Nuclear Power Company
- Cost
- CNY 70 billion (US$10.2 billion)
- Began
- Sep-26, 2007
- Opened
- Mar-01, 2014
- Installed capacity
- 6000 MW
- Units operational
- 6 × 1,000 MW
- Reactor type
- CPR-1000 PWR (Unit 1–4) APCR-1000 PWR (Unit 5–6)
4Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant

Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant is located in Haiyan County, Zhejiang Province in eastern China. It is China's first nuclear power plant designed by itself. The 300MW reactor (95% of components came from china manufactures) made in China was used for the first time.
This nuclear power plant is divided into three phases with an installed capacity of 4,101 MW. The first phase of the project started in 1984 and was completed and put into operation in 1991.
In the second phase of the project, two 600,000 kilowatt generator sets will be expanded on the original site, and construction has started in 1996.
The third phase of the project is the cooperation of the Chinese and Canadian governments, using heavy water reactor technology provided by Canada to build two 700,000 kilowatt generator sets, which were completed in 2003.
Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 秦山核电站
- Other name
- Fangjiashan Nuclear Power Plant
- Location
- Qinshan, Zhejiang, China
- Owner
- Qinshan Nuclear Power, Nuclear Power Plant Qinshan Joint Venture Company, The Third Qinshan Joint Venture Company
- Operator
- CNNC Nuclear Operation Management, Nuclear Power Plant Qinshan Joint Venture Company, The Third Qinshan Joint Venture Company
- Began
- Mar-20, 1985
- Opened
- Apr-01, 1994
- Installed capacity
- 6279 MW
- Units operational
- 1 × 298 MW 2 × 610 MW 2 × 619 MW 2 × 677 MW 2 × 1089 MW
- Reactor type
- PWR
- Reactor supplier
- China National Nuclear Corporation (I; II 1–4) Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (III 1–2)
- Cooling source
- East China Sea
3Bruce Nuclear Generating Station

Bruce Nuclear Generating Station is located in Ontario, Canada. The power station is built on the east bank of Lake Huron. And it is one of the top 10 largest nuclear power plants in the world.
The Bruce Nuclear Generating Station with an installed capacity of 6,430 MW has a total of 8 reactors. The 8 reactors are divided into 2 factories, Bruce A and Bruce B, each with 4 reactors.
It total cost bout $7.8 billion CAD. Of which Bruce A cost $1.8 billion CAD, Bruce B cost $6 billion CAD.
Bruce Nuclear Generating Station Data
- Country
- Canada
- Region
- North America
- Status
- In use
- Location
- Kincardine, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada
- Owner(s)
- Ontario Power Generation (OPG)
- Operator(s)
- Bruce Power
- Cost
- $1.8 billion CAD (A station) $6 billion CAD (B station)
- Began
- Jun-01, 1971
- Opened
- Sep-01, 1977
- Installed capacity
- 6430 MW
- Units operational
- 4 × 830 MW (gross) 3 × 872 MW (gross) 1 × 891 MW (gross)
- Reactor type
- CANDU PHWR
- Reactor supplier
- AECL
- Cooling source
- Lake Huron
2Kori Nuclear Power Plant

Kori Nuclear Power Plant is located in Kori Village, Busan City, east of South Korea. Close to the Sea of Japan. The installed capacity is 7,489 MW.
The Kori Nuclear Power Plant currently has 8 reactors; there are 6 reactors in operation, of which 1 is still under construction and 1 has been decommissioned (but will remain in In the complex until the materials can be safely stored and removed).
Units 2, 3, and 4 started commercial operations in the 1980s, and are all slated to be decommissioned in the mid-2020s. All reactors on site are pressurized water reactors.
Kori Nuclear Power Plant Data
- Country
- South Korea
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 고리원자력발전소
- Location
- Gori, Busan, South Korea
- Owner(s)
- Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
- Operator(s)
- Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
- Began
- Aug-01, 1972
- Opened
- Apr-29, 1978
- Installed capacity
- 7489 MW
- Units operational
- 1 × 640 MW 1 × 1011 MW 1 × 1012 MW 2 × 996 MW 1 × 1416 MW 1 × 1418 MW
- Reactor type
- PWR
- Reactor supplier
- Westinghouse KEPCO E&C
- Cooling source
- Sea of Japan (East sea of Korea)
1Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant is located in Kashiwazaki and Kariwa in Niigata Prefecture in central Japan, near the Sea of Japan.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power plant in the world, with an installed capacity of 7,965MW, but the plant has ceased service. Because of 2 major address accidents. The two earthquake accidents occurred in July 2007 and March 11, 2011 respectively.
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Data
- Country
- Japan
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- Deactivate
- Official name
- 柏崎刈羽原子力発電所
- Location
- Kashiwazaki and Kariwa, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
- Owner(s)
- Tokyo Electric Power Company
- Operator(s)
- Tokyo Electric Power Company
- Began
- Jun-05, 1980
- Opened
- Sep-18, 1985
- Installed capacity
- 7965 MW
- Units operational
- 5 × 1,067 MW 2 × 1,315 MW
- Cooling source
- Sea of Japan