[originaltext] In the next two years, more than 15 new nuclear plants are du

In the next two years, more than 15 new nuclear plants are due to join the 94 already generating electricity in the U.S.—for refrigerators, street lights, assembly lines, computers, subways, and a thousand other elements of modem American life. Despite the high price tags on some of the new plants, the average cost of generating U.S. nuclear electricity is still under a nickel per kilowatt-hour. That’s economical energy. What’s more, using nuclear fuel cuts energy imports and takes some of the pressure off the shrinking domestic reserves of oil and natural gas of the Americans.
    The U.S. Gross National Product is a basic measure of economic activity. Since 1973 the GNP has grown by 31%, which closely parallels the 33% growth in the country’s electricity demand. But over the same period the direct burning of fuels for non-electric energy has actually gone down, as the economy converts to using more electrical energy.
    What many people don’t realize is that most of America’s new electricity is coming from coal and nuclear power. Electricity growth in 1984 was 58% and 24% nuclear, according to the Federal Energy Information Administration.
    The growing supply of electricity from U.S. coal and nuclear also reduces the country’s dependence on imported energy. But America is still a long way from energy independence. America is paying a billion dollars every week for foreign oil. Greater use of domestic electricity sources means fewer U.S. dollars sent abroad. Nuclear power and coal can meet the country’s growing electrical needs and help reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil.