Nuclear energy has a dark side and a bright side. The dark side includes 52,000 tons of stored radioactive waste that poses a potential environmental threat as well as a terrorist target. The bright side is an abundant power source with a minimal amount of atmospheric emissions.
Just like the space program in the 1960s, widespread nuclear energy programs in the 1970s spawned spinoff technology that has been applied to various manufacturing processes. Magnetic pulse welding is one result of such technology transfer.