The US Department of Energy is moving to expand nuclear output from the existing reactor fleet rather than waiting on new plants alone. In March 2026, the DOE launched the UPRISE program, short for Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort, offering up to 80 percent financing through its Office of Energy Dominance Financing for projects that raise the output of current reactors, restart dormant facilities, and complete stalled builds.
The program sets concrete capacity goals. UPRISE aims to add 2.5 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2027 and 5 gigawatts of total additional capacity by 2029. Much of that would come from power uprates, in which utilities increase a reactor's licensed output. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's expected applications list identifies roughly 30 planned uprates through 2030, representing about 2.5 gigawatts of potential new capacity if all are approved.
Financing is already flowing. In February 2026, the Office of Energy Dominance Financing closed a $26.5 billion loan package with Southern Company subsidiaries to support nuclear uprates totaling 345 megawatts across six units. Corporate demand is rising alongside the federal push, with Walmart signing its first nuclear power purchase agreement for about 176 megawatts from Constellation's Dresden plant in Illinois.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in US energy policy toward treating the existing nuclear fleet as a source of near-term capacity growth. Uprates and restarts can add power faster and at lower cost than greenfield construction, making them central to plans for meeting rising electricity demand from data centers and electrification.
Source: POWER Magazine - https://www.powermag.com/doe-unveils-initiative-to-add-5-gw-of-nuclear-capacity-through-uprates-and-restarts/