When It Comes to Replacing Oil Imports, Nuclear Is No Easy Option

President Bush has proposed reducing oil imports by increasing the use of nuclear power, which he said in a recent speech was “one of the most promising sources of energy.”

There is a problem, though: reactors make electricity, not oil. And oil does not make much electricity.

Nuclear reactors produce about 20 percent of the electricity used in the United States and about 8 percent of the total energy consumed. Oil accounts for 41 percent of energy consumption.

NYT