Nuclear developers and federal officials met with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in July 2026 to discuss the outlook for advanced reactors, as the US nuclear sector works through a wave of restarts, license renewals, and new construction reviews. The discussions reflected growing momentum behind expanding domestic nuclear capacity to meet rising electricity demand.
The operating fleet remains the backbone of US nuclear generation. The country's 94 licensed power reactors supply almost 20 percent of national electricity. Utilities are moving to keep that fleet running longer, pursuing license renewals at 20 plants and power uprates at 29 units to add output from existing reactors.
Reactor restarts mark a notable shift. The NRC approved the restart of Holtec's Palisades plant in Michigan, the first time the agency has cleared a shuttered reactor to return to service, with the plant scheduled to come back online later in the year. Constellation's Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania is set to restart in 2027. In separate action, federal regulators approved the transfer of grid connection rights tied to Constellation's Eddystone site, and the NRC issued a draft environmental assessment supporting a return to power operations.
Looking ahead, utilities have 23.4 gigawatts of new nuclear planned over the next 15 years. The combination of restarts, uprates, and new build plans points to a period of sustained expansion for the US nuclear industry as operators respond to load growth from data centers and electrification.
Source: American Nuclear Society - https://www.ans.org/news/2026-07-22/article-8237/developers-officials-talk-advanced-reactor-outlook-with-nrc/