Key Issues

Bringing Stability to America's Energy Mix

A Tool to Meet Rising Demand

The U.S. Department of Energy forecasts that the United States will need 28 percent more electricity by 2040, less than 1 percent each year. That is a conservative estimate and below the actual growth rate of the past five decades. To meet this demand, the electric utility industry must invest between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion in new power plants, environmental controls and transmission and distribution lines.

The 104 nuclear plants operating in 31 states produce 19.2 percent of our nation's electricity. Nuclear energy produces more electricity than any other source in Connecticut, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. The energy industry is planning to build advanced nuclear plants to meet growing electricity demand while enhancing energy independence and reducing greenhouse gases.

Worldwide, 437 nuclear power plants are operating in 30 countries, supplying 12.3 percent of the world's electricity. Seventy-one new nuclear plants are under construction in 14 countries. All of the world’s economic powers rely on nuclear energy for a portion of their electricity production.