The Energy Information Administration is tracking a growing pipeline of small modular reactors and microreactors under development across the United States, reflecting a shift toward smaller, factory built nuclear designs. These reactors are designed to be deployed faster and at smaller scale than traditional gigawatt class plants.

Small modular reactors typically generate up to 300 megawatts per unit, while microreactors are far smaller, often producing a few to tens of megawatts for localized use. The compact footprint allows units to be sited at retiring fossil plants, industrial facilities, or remote locations, and to be added in increments as demand grows.

Developers are advancing multiple designs through federal review and early construction. The pipeline includes projects backed by utilities, the Department of Energy, and the military, alongside private commercial efforts. Demand from data centers and large industrial users has accelerated interest, with technology companies signing agreements to purchase output from planned advanced reactors.

While no commercial small modular reactor is yet operating in the United States, the tracked pipeline signals where capacity could come online over the next decade. The EIA data provides a baseline for measuring how quickly advanced nuclear moves from design approval and permitting into actual construction and generation as policy and private investment align behind the technology.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration - https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67584