Energy in Brief - What everyone should know about energy
Last Updated: December 14, 2009
Atom with electron paths

What is the status of the U.S. nuclear industry?

There are currently 104 commercial nuclear reactors at 65 nuclear power plants in 31 States. Since 1990, the share of the Nation’s total electricity supply provided by nuclear power generation has averaged about 20%, with the level of nuclear generation growing at roughly the same rate as overall electricity use. Between 1985 and 1996, 34 new reactors were placed in service. In addition, nuclear generation has increased as a result of higher utilization of existing capacity and from technical modifications to increase nuclear plant capacity (expressed in megawatts). In response to incentives provided by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, nuclear power output is expected to grow, but at a slightly lower rate than total electricity generation.
Growth of Nuclear Generation 1980-2008
Bar chart showing: nuclear generation from 1980 to 2008, with generation growing from about 250 billion kilowatthours in 1980 to about 800 billion kilowatthours in 2008. Source: Energy Information Administration
Most of the Nation’s commercial reactors are located east of the Mississippi River.
Map showing: commercial nuclear plants in 2008 and states with and without nuclear power. Source: Energy Information Administration; data are through December 31, 2008.
Nuclear Plants Use More of Their Capacity to Generate Electricity than Other Plants.
Pie charts showing: capacity in 2008, total = 994,888 MW, natural gas 40%, coal 31%, other 11%, nuclear 10%, hydro 8%; generation in 2008, total = 4,115 million MWh, coal 49%, natural gas 21%, nuclear 20%, hydro 6%, other 4%. Source: Energy Information Administration.
Did You Know?
The Grand Coulee Dam in the State of Washington has the most capacity of any electric power plant in the United States, 7,079 net megawatts. The Palo Verde nuclear plant in Arizona ranks second with a capacity of 3,872 net megawatts. But nuclear plants are able to use more of their capacity than hydropower facilities. In 2007, Grand Coulee generated 25,053,667 megawatthours of electricity, while Palo Verde generated 26,782,391 megawatthours.
Did You Know?
On December 2, 1942, under the bleachers of the football stadium at the University of Chicago, Dr. Enrico Fermi initiated the first controlled nuclear chain reaction. The experiment, conducted as part of the wartime atomic bomb program, also led to peaceful uses of the atom, including construction of the first U.S. nuclear power plant at Shippingport, Pennsylvania, in 1957.

There Are 31 States With at Least One Commercial Nuclear Reactor

Most of the commercial reactors in the United States are located east of the Mississippi River, near water sources. Illinois has the most reactors (11) and the most nuclear capacity. The two largest reactors in the United States, each with capacities above 1,300 net megawatts, are located at the Palo Verde plant in Arizona. The smallest reactor (482 net megawatts) is at Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.

The last new reactor to enter commercial service was the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Watts Bar 1 in Tennessee in 1996. In 2007, construction resumed on another new reactor, Watts Bar 2, which is slated for initial operation in 2012. Construction on two other reactors, Bellefonte 1 and 2 in Alabama, remains suspended, but TVA has left open the possibility that the reactors eventually might be completed.

A power plant refers to an entire facility. A plant may contain nuclear as well as non-nuclear units. Each reactor located at a commercial nuclear plant is part of a unique nuclear generating unit with its own personnel, equipment, and generators. The reactor provides heat to make steam for the generator which, in turn, provides the electricity.

More than half of the U.S. nuclear plants have at least two reactors. Although some foreign nuclear power plants have as many as eight reactors, only three U.S. plants have more than two operational reactors: Palo Verde in Arizona, Browns Ferry in Alabama, and Oconee in South Carolina each have three reactors.

Nuclear Plants Utilize More of Their Capacity than Other Plants

Natural gas represents the largest share of electric power generation capacity, coal is second, nuclear power is third, and conventional hydropower is fourth. Natural gas capacity is nearly four times as large as nuclear capacity, but fuel and other operating costs of generating electricity are lower for nuclear plants than for natural gas. Consequently, nuclear plants tend to be used to their maximum capacity, whereas natural gas plants tend to be turned on intermittently to serve peak demand. In 2008, the nuclear share of electricity generation at 20% nearly matched the natural gas share at 21%.

The United States Generates the Most Nuclear Power

The United States has the most nuclear capacity and generation among the 31 countries in the world that have commercial nuclear power. France, the country with the second most nuclear capacity, relies on nuclear power for nearly 80% of its electricity. Other countries that get a significant share of their electricity from nuclear power include Japan, Russia, South Korea, and Germany.

Where in the World Do You Find Nuclear Energy?

Bar chart showing nuclear generation in 2008. The top 10 countries produce 2,205 million net Megawatthours (MWh). The top 10 countries are, in order from highest generation to lowest generation, the United States, France, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Germany, Canada, Ukraine, China, and Sweden. Nuclear generation for all 31 countries (.xls). Source: Source: International Atomic Energy Agency, Power Reactor Information System File.

Nuclear Power and the Environment

Nuclear waste is a solid waste that must be carefully stored because it is radioactive and can contaminate anything with which it comes in contact, including liquids. Currently, most high-level commercial nuclear wastes are stored on-site at nuclear plants. On June 3, 2008, the Department of Energy submitted a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a high-level waste geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The future of this repository is currently in doubt, and alternative approaches to nuclear waste storage are being considered.

Nuclear power generation itself does not contribute to airborne emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas, although related activities such as the production of nuclear fuel for reactors do result in CO2 emissions. Currently, its nearest competitor in size among non-greenhouse-gas-emitting electricity generating technologies is conventional hydropower, which accounts for about 6% of U.S. electricity generation.

When Will New Reactors Come On Line?

Although five nuclear plants were retired in 1997 and 1998, nuclear capacity is about the same as in 1996 when the Watts Bar 1 plant came on line. Technical modifications to increase capacity (called uprates) at existing plants have made this possible. These uprates, combined with high utilization, have enabled nuclear to consistently maintain a share of about 20% of total electricity output. With many nuclear plants operating at or near capacity, even maintaining the current share will depend on new reactors being built.

By the end of February 2009, the NRC had received applications for a total of 26 newly designed reactors. It is uncertain how many of these reactors will eventually be built, but the NRC estimates 42 months to complete the review of all the applications prior to a final decision. Construction typically requires another five to seven years for each reactor. EIA projects that the industry will add about 8 gigawatts (= 8,000 megawatts) of new nuclear capacity between 2008 and 2035.1 Uprates to existing power plant capacity will add an additional 4 gigawatts.

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1 See Annual Energy Outlook 2010 Early Release with Projections to 2035 (December 2009).