The U.S. Department of Energy is moving to expand nuclear output from the existing fleet rather than waiting on new construction alone. Its Office of Nuclear Energy launched the Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort, known as UPRISE, an initiative targeting license renewals, power uprates at operating plants, restarts of dormant reactors, and completion of stalled construction projects. The program aims to add 2.5 gigawatts of capacity by 2027 and 5 gigawatts by 2029.
Regulatory changes are clearing a faster path. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission published a final reactor licensing rule on March 30, 2026, commonly called Part 53, effective April 29. The framework is designed to make licensing of advanced reactors faster, simpler, and more cost-effective while maintaining safety review. The NRC also identified roughly 30 planned uprates through 2030, including three applications in 2026, which together could add about 2.5 gigawatts of capacity if approved and built.
License renewals are accelerating as well. The NRC granted the Edwin I. Hatch plant in Georgia another 20 years of operation, completing its second renewal in under 12 months, and approved Duke Energy's Robinson plant in South Carolina to run until 2050. Both decisions extend the operating lives of plants that supply steady baseload power.
The combined effort reflects a strategy of squeezing more generation from proven assets while advanced designs progress. With electricity demand climbing, federal officials have prioritized capacity that can come online quickly, and uprates and restarts offer some of the fastest available gains.
Source: POWER Magazine - https://www.powermag.com/doe-unveils-initiative-to-add-5-gw-of-nuclear-capacity-through-uprates-and-restarts/