Now, more than ever, America needs nuclear energy.

• Author: Bayne, Phillip

OF ALL THE TOOLS mankind has mastered over the centuries, none has done more to improve its standard of living than the force Benjamin Franklin identified during a thunderstorm nearly 250 years ago. When humans harnessed electricity, they lifted their burden of intense labor, lengthened their days, and made their world smaller. Once a novelty, electricity is now an inexpensive necessity.

The typical American household spends about $65 each month for electricity, according to the Edison Electric Institute. That amount provides heat in winter and relief from heat in summer. It turns night into day. It cooks and preserves food. It brings into living rooms the majesty of a symphony orchestra or the excitement of the Olympic Games. What a bargain! By contrast, the same consumer today often spends more for telephone and cable television service.

In the U.S., electricity sales have gone up steadily. From 1987 through 1992, they increased 12%; from 1982 to 1992 alone, they rose 32%. Since the 1973 oil embargo, electricity use and the economy have expanded roughly in parallel. Electricity demand from 1973 to 1991 went up by about 61%; the U.S. economy, measured by the Gross Domestic Product, approximately 48%. Total U.S. energy consumption rose by only 10% during this time, however, and nonelectric energy use fell six percent.

The relationship between electricity demand and U.S. economic growth--measured by GDP--is not fixed or static, but fluctuates. Before 1973, electricity growth was much higher than that in GDP. Between 1960 and 1972, demand increased by seven percent annually, on average--nearly twice the growth rate in constant dollar GDP during this period. Electricity demand from 1973 to 1991 went up about 61%; over this same period, GDP rose about 48%.

Between 1973 and 1985, electricity consumption grew by 2.5% annually, nine percent faster than GDP growth. Since 1985, electricity sales have risen at a somewhat brisker pace, nearly four percent annually--twice as high as GDP. Since 1984, electricity prices--discounted for inflation--have fallen by about 24%.

Electricity is called upon increasingly to do many of the jobs once done by coal, oil, and natural gas, as homes and businesses continue switching from burning fuels directly. The average household increased electricity use by 65% from 1973 to 1992, while the average commercial business utilized 97% more electricity by 1992.

Two major factors are responsible for this growth. In both sectors, the amount of customers has increased. Over this period, for example, residential electricity consumers rose by about 41% and the amount of commercial users by approximately 45%. In addition, customers in both sectors are using more electricity than they did in 1973. In the residential sector, this can be attributed to an increase in electrical appliances, especially new items like microwave ovens and VCRs.

The U.S. industrial sector utilizes more electricity today, partly because industry is replacing fossil-fueled processes with electricity in many applications. Electric manufacturing processes are more energy-efficient, cleaner, and easier to control, and they improve productivity and product quality. For instance, an electric steel mill cuts over-all energy use by 70%, compared to that needed for steel made in a...