The status of nuclear power in the United States is finally changing. As of last month, there were 18 proposals under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for 28 new units in 14 states. This renewed interest in building nuclear power plants can be attributed in large part to the federal government’s commitment to nuclear power. It is expected that the renewed interest and ensuing construction of nuclear power plants will have a ripple effect of increased demand for support services and industries.

This is a dramatic change. Nuclear reactors generated only 20 percent of the electricity used in the United States in 2009—about the same percentage they generated in 1996, when the last commercial nuclear reactor came online in the country. However, during this same period nuclear power acquired a greater importance in other countries. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are 17 countries that obtain a higher percentage of their energy from nuclear power than the United States does, including France (75%), Switzerland (39%), Sweden (37%), Japan (28%), and Germany (26%).

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