US nuclear power plants operated at a fleet-average capacity factor of approximately 93% in 2025, according to Nuclear Energy Institute statistical data, a performance level that no other large-scale electricity generation technology matches on a consistent annual basis. The 94 licensed US reactors collectively generated approximately 778 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, representing about 18% of total US electricity generation and making nuclear the single largest carbon-free source of electricity in the country.

The economic performance of the existing US fleet has improved substantially over the past decade as operators reduced non-fuel operating costs and extended scheduled refueling outages less frequently. Fuel costs for nuclear power are relatively stable compared to natural gas or coal, as uranium contracts are typically executed years in advance and the energy density of nuclear fuel means that the cost of the fuel itself is a small fraction of total generating cost. These characteristics make nuclear power a natural hedge against natural gas price spikes like those seen during the Hormuz conflict period in 2025-2026.

Twenty-eight states host operating nuclear power plants, with significant concentrations in the Midwest, Southeast, and mid-Atlantic. The Southeast fleet includes Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Waynesboro, Georgia, the most recently completed nuclear facility in the US, which entered commercial operation in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, operates Vogtle and reports the units are contributing meaningfully to Georgia's electricity grid stability and rate competitiveness.

Source: Nuclear Energy Institute -- https://www.nei.org/resources/statistics