There are currently 98 power plants throughout 30 states in the US, with only 60 of them being open commercially. A large number of these power plants are what's called “light water” reactors, meaning that they use normal water in the cores of these reactors.

A nuclear power plant is actually quite similar to any other steam-electric power plant, whether it's powered by coal or natural gas. The extreme amount of heat created from the fission of uranium is used to heat water up to 520 degrees fahrenheit, or about 270 degrees celsius. The steam created from the boiling water is then pushed out at high pressure to turn a turbine that spins a generator, creating electricity.

Although atoms are tiny, they hold a massive amount of energy between the bonds of their nuclei. This energy can be harvested through what is called nuclear fission, or the splitting of bonds between atoms. By splitting apart chemical bonds holding the atoms together chemical energy is released in the form of thermermal energy or heat. The heat energy released can then be used to generate electricity throughout the power plant.

Certain isotopes (different forms of an element) of certain elements can be more easily fissioned and harvested. For example, Uranium-235, or U-235, is the most common isotope used in nuclear power plants. Since the uranium atom is quite big in comparison to others it is relatively easier to go though the process of Fission.

During fission, the U-235 atom will absorb loose neutrons causing the U-235 to become unstable and split apart into two lighter atoms called fission products, energy in the form of heat, as well as two to three more neutrons at high velocity. These new neutrons will proceed to crash into more atoms causing a chain reaction.