The Nuclear Energy Institute's 2026 State of the Nuclear Industry report finds the US continues to operate 94 licensed nuclear power reactors that collectively supply approximately 18% of national electricity generation, maintaining nuclear's position as the single largest source of carbon-free baseload power in the country. The NRC's approval of the Palisades restart, a Holtec-led project in Michigan, marks the first attempt to bring a previously shuttered commercial reactor back into service in the US and is expected to return to the grid later in 2026.
The NEI report also notes that Constellation Energy's Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania is scheduled to restart in 2027, adding to a pipeline of previously retired capacity being returned to service in response to rising power prices and tech company demand for reliable clean energy. The report describes 2026 as a turning point for the US nuclear industry, with multiple restart approvals, new construction permits, and a significant wave of corporate power purchase agreements signaling a reversal of the decade-long trend toward plant closures.
Nuclear power's capacity factor, the measure of how often a plant generates at full output, consistently exceeds 90% across the US fleet, making it the most reliable source of continuous power generation available. The combination of high reliability, zero-carbon output, and baseload capability has positioned nuclear as the preferred clean energy option for hyperscale data center operators seeking to power AI infrastructure without introducing variability into their power supply.
Source: Nuclear Energy Institute -- https://www.nei.org/news/state-of-the-nuclear-industry-2026