How nuclear power works all power plants heat water to produce steam which turns a generator to create electricity in nuclear power stations that steam is made by the heat generated from nuclear fission 3 its when an atom is split releasing enormous amounts of energy in the form of heat. Statistically nuclear power is the safest form of large scale energy humanity has ever used mining accidents or gas explosions kill people sometimes in large numbers and smoke from coal . How do nuclear power plants work three mutual conversions of energy forms occur at nuclear power plants nuclear energy is converted into thermal energy thermal energy is converted into mechanical energy and mechanical energy is converted into electric energy