The US nuclear fleet continues to anchor the nation's electricity supply, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute's State of the Nuclear Industry review for 2026. The country's 94 licensed power reactors generate close to 20 percent of all US electricity, making nuclear the largest source of firm round the clock generation.

The figures arrive during a period of renewed expansion. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved its first ever restart of a retired reactor, Holtec's Palisades in Michigan, with additional restarts at Constellation's Crane Clean Energy Center and Duane Arnold scheduled for later in the decade. These additions would return previously closed capacity to the grid at a time of rising demand.

The Department of Energy has moved to grow output further, selecting the Tennessee Valley Authority and Holtec Government Services for early small modular reactor deployment, with up to a combined 800 million dollars in cost shared federal funding available. Separately, advanced reactor projects such as TerraPower's Natrium plant in Wyoming have secured construction permits.

The data reflects a sector shifting from contraction to growth. After a long stretch with few new builds, the combination of restarts, advanced reactor permits, and federal support points to capacity additions ahead. Large electricity users, including data center operators, have signed agreements for nuclear power, adding a new category of demand that industry figures cite as a driver of the renewed investment captured in the latest fleet statistics.

Source: Nuclear Energy Institute - https://www.nei.org/news/state-of-the-nuclear-industry-2026