Pretty much all power plants that that aren't wind, hydro or solar photvoltaic are giant steam engines. Coal, oil, gas, solar heat, geothermal, nuclear and whatever else. The only difference between them is the fuel source. Once you reach the "heat water" step, it's all pretty much the same.
Well, not quite for nuclear. Nuclear reactors heat up (and irradiate the fuck out of) water, which is then used to heat up yet more (radiation free) water on a separate line which then spins the generator. I guess the sheer, insane amount of energy produced makes up for the godawful efficiency of the whole set up.