The United States nuclear fleet comprises 94 operating reactors producing approximately 100 gigawatts of capacity, and nuclear generation is projected to supply 18 percent of national electricity output in 2026, unchanged from 2025. Federal executive orders set a target of 400 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050, which requires quadrupling the current base.

The gap between the current fleet and the 2050 target defines the scale of the build required. Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, the only large reactors completed in the United States in a generation, added roughly 2.2 gigawatts at a total project cost of $36.8 billion. Reaching 300 additional gigawatts through units at that cost and schedule is not a realistic path, which is why federal funding has concentrated on smaller standardized designs.

Fuel supply investment has scaled alongside. The Department of Energy committed $2.7 billion across three enrichment awards in January 2026, split evenly at $900 million each to Centrus at Piketon, Ohio, General Matter at Paducah, Kentucky, and Orano at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where Project Ike carries a $5 billion total facility cost.

Uranium market pricing reflects the demand shift. Long-term contract prices reached $90 per pound in 2026, the highest since 2008, with spot trading in an $84 to $87 range through the second quarter.

License extensions supply the cheapest incremental capacity. Vistra received approval to run the Perry plant through 2046, and the NRC completed the fastest renewal in its history for H.B. Robinson Unit 2.

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