How do nuclear power plants provide energy?

All power plants provide energy through the process of
electromagnetic induction. A rotor, containing magnets, spins inside a coil of wire and
induces a current in the wires.  The rotor is spun either through the use of flowing
water (hydroelectric power) or by passing high pressure steam through the
rotor.

The heat energy to generate the steam is produced
either by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas or by the heat
generated in a controlled nucear chain reaction.

In a
nuclear power plant rods containing a few % U-235 are bombarded with neutrons. Every
time a uranium atom splits it forms two smaller atoms, gives off several neutrons, and
produces heat energy.  By the use of control rods the operators in the power plant
either slow down or speed up the chain reaction to produce the desired armount of heat
energy and resultant steam to power the generators.

Nuclear
power produces about 15-20% of the electricity used in the United States but as high as
80% in France and increasing amounts in many other countries, including
Japan.