Right now, nuclear power supplies about 20% of U.S. electricity. That’s a huge chunk for something we mostly ignore. But the future is split—pun intended. Some states are retiring old plants because they’re expensive. Others are betting on small modular reactors, which are like nuclear power plants for ants—compact, safer, and supposedly cheaper. NuScale, a company in Oregon, actually has government approval to build one. It might even happen before I’m collecting Social Security.
And get this: the Navy alone has more than 90 nuclear reactors in its submarines and aircraft carriers. That’s almost as many reactors on the ocean as we have on land. So if you ever feel scared about nuclear, remember that a guy named Steve is probably eating a bagel while piloting a submarine 500 feet under the Atlantic with a reactor humming next to his bunk. Steve isn’t worried. You shouldn’t be either.
So, how many nuclear plants are there in the U.S.? Fifty-four sites, 93 reactors, and about 42 years of collective anxiety and reliability. They’re old, they’re expensive, and they’re somehow still humming along like a clock you inherited from your weird uncle. And the next time you flick a light switch, you might just be thanking a uranium atom in Alabama. You’re welcome.
