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Nuclear plants generate electricity by using fission to heat water, making steam that spins a turbine connected to a generator. Transformers then raise the generator’s output voltage for transmission; substations and distribution transformers lower it as electricity moves toward customers. The reactor supplies heat—the turbine and generator convert that heat into electrical output.
How a nuclear power plant generates electricity
The process is a chain of heat transfer and energy conversion:
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- Fuel is arranged in the reactor core. In U.S. light-water reactors, uranium is formed into ceramic pellets, sealed inside metal fuel rods, and grouped into fuel assemblies. Water carries heat away from the core and slows neutrons; control rods help regulate the fission reaction. The U.S. Department of Energy explains the reactor’s role.
- Fission releases heat. Uranium atoms split, releasing energy that heats the reactor’s fuel and surrounding coolant.
- Heat makes steam. Depending on the reactor design, water either boils in the reactor vessel or heats a separate supply of water in a steam generator.
- Steam turns a turbine and generator. Expanding steam spins the turbine blades. The turbine shaft turns a generator, which produces electricity. This turbine-generator step is similar to the process at other steam power plants. The U.S. Energy Information Administration describes the electricity-generation process.
- Electrical equipment prepares the output for the grid. The generator’s output passes through plant electrical equipment to the switchyard, where a step-up transformer raises its voltage for transmission.
How boiling-water and pressurized-water reactors differ
The two common U.S. reactor designs use different water and steam arrangements. They do not differ in the basic turbine-generator conversion: in both, steam turns a turbine connected to a generator.
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| Feature | Boiling-water reactor (BWR) | Pressurized-water reactor (PWR) |
|---|---|---|
| Where water boils | Water boils inside the reactor vessel. | Primary coolant is kept under pressure so it does not boil in the reactor core. |
| How turbine steam is made | Steam from the reactor vessel travels directly to the turbine. | Hot primary coolant transfers heat through tubes in a steam generator to a separate, nonradioactive secondary water supply. That secondary water boils to make turbine steam. |
| Water paths | The steam sent to the turbine is condensed back into water and reused. | Primary coolant returns to the core; the separate secondary water produces turbine steam and is condensed and reused. |
The EIA’s reactor-types explainer describes these arrangements. The DOE says all U.S. commercial reactors are light-water reactors; in its May 19, 2025 explainer, it says more than 65% are PWRs and roughly one-third are BWRs. Those proportions describe the U.S. fleet, not the global fleet. DOE’s explanation of reactor operation and U.S. reactor types.
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How electricity moves from the plant to customers
Electricity from a plant enters an interconnected grid rather than traveling along a dedicated line to a particular home. Grid operators balance generation and demand across the network, while electricity flows through the connected transmission and distribution system.
- Plant switchyard: A step-up transformer raises the generator’s voltage. Transmitting electricity at high voltage allows lower current for a given amount of power and reduces resistive heating losses in the lines.
- Transmission: High-voltage lines carry electricity over long distances to substations.
- Substation and distribution: Substations reduce voltage for distribution lines. Further transformers lower it in stages toward the levels used by customers.
In North American grids, generators within each network operate in synchronism at the same frequency cycle, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s overview of nuclear plants and the grid. The IAEA’s 2009 report gives around 7% as a typical transmission-and-distribution loss for the UK and USA. That older, general estimate is not a current figure for a particular nuclear plant or a nuclear-specific loss rate.
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Capacity, generation and how often plants run
Capacity is a power measure: the output a generator can produce under the capacity measure being used. Generation is the amount of electrical energy produced over time. For example, a 100-megawatt generator running continuously at that capacity for 24 hours produces 2,400 megawatt-hours. The EIA gives this capacity-and-generation example.
U.S. nuclear plants generally operate at or near generating capacity through much of the year, then reduce generation for refueling, typically every 18 to 24 months. Refueling outages most often take place in spring and fall, when electricity demand is lower; individual plants and outage schedules vary. The EIA explains typical nuclear refueling intervals.
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The EIA reports a 91% average annual capacity factor for U.S. nuclear plants in 2025. Capacity factor compares actual generation over a period with the amount that would have been generated at continuous full capacity over that period. It is an annual fleet-level measure, not a claim that every reactor runs at 91% at every moment. The EIA’s U.S. nuclear industry overview reports the 2025 figure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What nuclear power contributes in the United States
Nuclear power supplied 18.2% of U.S. utility-scale net electricity generation in 2022, according to final EIA-923 data. This is a dated national share, not a current-year estimate. The EIA’s electricity-generation explainer reports the 2022 figure.
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As of March 2026, the EIA listed 96 operating reactors at 57 plants in 28 states, with 98,441 megawatts of combined net summer capacity. Fleet counts and operating status can change. The EIA’s U.S. nuclear industry overview provides the dated fleet count and capacity.
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