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What Is Driving Interest in New Nuclear Plants?
Several factors are contributing to the growing interest in new nuclear power plants: rising electricity demand, clean-air concerns, the performance and reliability of existing plants, and the tight supply—and price volatility—of natural gas. These factors, along with excellent nuclear plant safety and reliability, have contributed to increasing public and policymaker support for nuclear energy.

• Electricity Demand. DOE projects that the United States will need 21 percent more electricity by 2030.
• Clean Air. Concern about air pollution is leading to increasingly tight restrictions on emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury. The federal government also may decide to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas. Nuclear energy accounts for nearly three-quarters of the U.S. electric generation with none of these emissions.
• Excellent Performance. The nation’s 104 nuclear power plants operate at high levels of safety, reliability and affordability. Results from the NRC’s reactor oversight process, posted on the agency’s Web site, show consistently high safety performance across the industry. The average capacity factor for nuclear plants—a measure of reliability—has remained about 90 percent since 2000. And nuclear plants are the lowest-cost electricity providers, producing electricity for about 1.7 cents per kilowatt-hour.
• Price Stability. U.S. commercial nuclear reactors depend on uranium as a fuel source. As a result of abundant supply worldwide, the fuel prices for uranium and, thus, nuclear power plants are stable and predictable over the long term.   
• Support for Nuclear Energy. A national survey conducted in September 2008 found a high level of support among the public for nuclear energy, with 74 percent saying they favor it as one way to produce electricity. The survey also found that 89 percent agree the United States should take advantage of all low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear, hydropower and renewable energy to produce the electricity needed while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The United States needs a diversified portfolio of electricity sources that includes nuclear energy, renewables (wind, solar and biomass), and advanced coal and natural gas-fired generation. The nuclear energy industry and the federal government are working to ensure that electric companies will have the option of building new nuclear reactors when they need large new power plants.

To learn the status of new-plant activities in the United States, see the “New Nuclear Plant Status” table.