Frequently Asked Questions


Is nuclear power an efficient way to generate electricity?
The fission of an atom of uranium produces 10 million times the energy produced by the combustion of an atom of carbon from coal.

Are nuclear power plants expensive to run?
Most nuclear plants are very economical, with average production costs slightly lower than costs at coal-fired power plants and much lower than those at oil- and gas-fired plants. The average electricity production cost in 2003 for nuclear energy was 1.72 cents per kilo-watt-hour, compared to 1.80 cents at coal-fired plants, 5.53 cents for oil, and 5.77 cents at gas-fired plants.

How many nuclear plants are there?
There are 104 reactors operating in the U.S., located at 64 sites in 31 states, which produce 20 percent of the country's electricity. Worldwide, there are 442 reactors in 30 countries, which generate 17 percent of Earth's power. Another 35 units are under construction.

What makes nuclear power the 'clean air' energy?
Nuclear power plants do not pollute the air or produce greenhouse gases. The 442 nuclear reactors worldwide reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 500 million metric tons each year. In the United States, nuclear plants reduced total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 189 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2002. A fact sheet with more information is available here.

What happens to the radioactive waste nuclear plants produce?
Nuclear power plants produce two types of radioactive waste. Low-level waste (rags, filters, discarded protective clothing, etc.) is buried in shallow trenches at one of three U.S. facilities.

High-level waste (spent fuel, about 13 cubic meters per reactor each year) is currently stored at plant sites in steel-lined, water-filled pools inside reinforced-concrete buildings; or in above- ground, concrete-and-steel containers. The U.S. government is constructing a permanent, underground repository for the spent fuel.

After 10 years, the fission products in spent fuel are 1,000 times less radioactive. After 500 years, the fission products will be less radioactive than the uranium ore from which they came.

How long has nuclear energy been used in the U.S.?
Nuclear energy has been used since 1953 to power U.S. Navy vessels, and since 1955 to provide electricity to homes and businesses. The Navy currently has 11 nuclear-powered surface ships and 98 nuclear-powered submarines; each submarine can travel one million miles, or more than 25 years, without refueling.

How much of Texas' electricity comes from nuclear power?
Eleven percent: 5.8 percent from STP and 5.2 percent from the nearly identical, two-unit Comanche Peak plant near Dallas.

Why aren't new nuclear plants under construction in the U.S.?
Nuclear- and coal-powered plants are "baseload" facilities that operate continuously. Few baseload power plants have been built in the United States since 1980 because much of the country has excess electricity. Many utilities have only built "peaking" plants: small facilities, generally fueled by oil or natural gas, that quickly can be turned on and off, according to swings in demand.

Is it likely that more nuclear plants will be built in the U.S.?
By mid-2006, various companies notified federal regulators of plans to build 19 new units in the U.S., and dozens more are being built worldwide. Growing demand for electricity is leading to new baseload plant construction. In addition, the nuclear industry has developed advanced reactor designs that can be ordered "off the shelf." The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved several advanced plant designs that will be more economical to build and operate than today's plants, and which will be even safer.

What are the economic benefits of nuclear technology?
$420 billion in sales, 4.4 million jobs and $77.8 billion in taxes annually.

Can a nuclear plant blow up like a bomb?
No. Less than five percent of the uranium in nuclear fuel is fissionable. The concentration is so low that a nuclear explosion is impossible.

What are other ways that nuclear materials are used?
Medicine - Each year, to diagnose or treat ten million hospitalized Americans, perform 100 million lab tests, treat more than 500,000 cancer patients, and to sterilize sutures, syringes, catheters, hospital clothing and other items that can't be heated.
Consumer products - In television sets, computer displays, non-stick pans, smoke alarms, appliance indicator lights, voltage regulators, surge protectors, fluorescent lights, luminous clocks and watches, and many other common household products. Also, to sterilize plastics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, hair products, contact lens solutions, and other heat-sensitive items.
Manufacturing - To check for flaws in jet engines, and in electric arc welding.
Resources - To locate and estimate oil, natural gas and mineral deposits.
Agriculture - To make crops hardier and more disease-resistant, producing higher yields of peanuts, tomatoes, onions, rice, barley, soybeans and other fruits, vegetables and grains.
Food - To kill bacteria, insects and parasites, without making the food radioactive. Fruits, vegetables, pork, poultry, red meat and spices - as well as food eaten by astronauts on space missions - are irradiated.
Space - Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) have provided power for more than two dozen robotic space probes, including Pioneer 10 and 11, two Viking and the two Voyager spacecraft, and the Galileo, Ulysses and Cassini probes. The RTGs have functioned up to 30 years, and the Voyager probe continues to transmit signals as it moves into interstellar space.

For More Information...
A series of brochures with additional information about nuclear energy is available here.


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