Nuclear reactors look like large concrete domes from the outside. Not all nuclear power plants have cooling towers.

Source: Stock photography (copyrighted) 

# Nuclear Power Plants – Basics
Nuclear Power Plants Generate About One-Fifth of U. S. Electricity Nuclear power accounted for slightly more than 19% of the total net electricity generated in the Unite d States in 2011, about as much as the electricity used in California , Texas, and New York, the three states with the mo st people. In 2010, there were 65 nuclear power plants (composed of 104 licensed nuclear reactors) throughout the Un ited States. Most of the reactors are east of the Mississippi. T he last new reactor to enter commercial service in the United States was the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar 1 in Tennessee in 1996. In 2008, TVA resumed construction on Watts Bar 2, w hich was partially complete when its construction w as stopped in 1988. It is now expected to be completed in 2013. By early 2011, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (N RC) had received applications for a total of 28 newly desig ned reactors. It is uncertain how many of these reactors will eventuall y be built, but the NRC estimates 42 months to complete the review of a ll the applications prior to a final decision. Constructio n typically requires another five to seven years for each reactor. 

### Nuclear Power Comes from Fission Most power plants, including nuclear plants, use he at to produce electricity. They rely on steam from heated water t o spin large turbines, which generate electricity. Instead of bu rning fossil fuels to produce the steam, nuclear plants use heat given of f during fission. In nuclear fission, atoms are split apart to form s maller atoms, releasing energy. Fission takes place inside the re actor of a nuclear power plant. At the center of the reactor is the co re, which contains the uranium fuel. The uranium fuel is formed into ceramic pellets. Th e pellets are about the size of your fingertip, but each one produces roughly the same amount of energy as 150 gallons of oil. These energy-rich pellets are stacked end-to- end in 12-foot metal fuel rods. A bundle of fuel rods, sometimes h undreds, is called a fuel assembly. A reactor core contains many fuel assemblies. The heat given off during fission in the reactor co re is used to boil water into steam, which turns th e turbine blades. As they turn, they drive generators that make electric ity. Afterward, the steam is cooled back into water in a separate structure at the power plant called a cooling tower . The water can be used again and again.



### Learn More U.S. Nuclear Reactor, Capacity and Generation — http://www.eia.gov/nuclear/reactors/stats_table1. html ■ State Nuclear Profiles — http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/nuclear/state_profiles/nu c_state_sum.html ■ Explaining Nuclear Energy for Kids — http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/exp laining-nuclear-energyfor-kids/2011/03/15/ABhFsfl_story.html ■

Last Updated: April 25, 2012 http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=n uclear_power_plants 

## Page 1 of 2 Nuclear Power Plants

- Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy

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## Page 2 of 2

Nuclear Power Plants

- Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy

6/22/2012 http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/print.cfm?page=nuclear_power_plants