[Approx. Read Time: 1 minute] President Obama’s pledge to support the nuclear industry with more loan guarantees is great for the nuclear industry. But what does it mean to you?
Right now in the United States, 20% of energy is generated by nuclear power. Nuclear power is generated in nuclear power plants, which is then transferred to energy utilities (power companies), who then supply the energy to your home. This energy is used to turn on the lights, the coffee maker, power the alarm clock (although sometimes we wish it wouldn’t!).
Nuclear power plants typically have a life span of 40 to 60 years. There are 104 reactors generating power in the U.S. at this time. They were built and have been running since the 1960s and 70s. Therefore, new nuclear plants need to be built in order to maintain the base power that nuclear provides. We must support building new nuclear power plants so we can meet our energy needs required to sustain our population growth and allow Americans to continue to live “comfortably”.
