U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman says the United States will offer incentives to spur companies to construct six nuclear power plants.

Bodman Friday announced a plan that will provide risk insurance coverage against bureaucratic and legal issues that make construction of the plants more expensive.

The plan would provide up to $500 million in coverage for the first two plants built, and up to $250 million more for the next four plants.

The United States has 103 nuclear power plants in 31 states.  But a new plant has not been built since 1973, and a partial meltdown at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant in 1979 ended plans to construct new ones.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.