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There are at least two reasons to have nuclear power plants. First off, they are used to produce electricity, which is used to provide homes and businesses with power, and also to provide ships with power for propulsion. Nuclear power was even once tested for powering aircraft.

A second reason to have nuclear power plants is to make isotopes that do not occur in nature. These may be used for the purpose of making nuclear bombs. They are often also used for making nuclear tracers for medical testing, for treatment, or for special chemical purposes, such as causing special types of phosphorescent pigments to glow. This last use was much more common in the 1920's through the middle of the 1940's, when no one knew that radioactivity was so dangerous; nevertheless, there are certain applications for which its use continues.

A third reason to have a nuclear power plant, though it might not be used in the United States, is to produce heat for other purposes, such as desalinization.

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