The US nuclear industry enters 2026 with clear momentum after a year of regulatory milestones and rising investment. The nation's 94 licensed nuclear power reactors generate almost 20% of US electricity, and operators are moving to extend and expand that fleet.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a reactor restart for the first time, clearing Holtec's Palisades plant in Michigan to return to service later in the year. Constellation's Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania is set to restart in 2027, and Duane Arnold is expected to follow in 2029. The agency also completed rapid license renewals, granting the Edwin I. Hatch plant in Georgia another 20 years of operation under a 12-month review target established by executive order.
Policy changes are lowering barriers for advanced projects. Implementation of the ADVANCE Act is producing concrete effects, including fee relief for advanced reactor applicants and regulatory efficiencies that improve the schedule and cost of first deployment.
Private capital is flowing into the sector. Nuclear startups raised nearly $3 billion in 2025 as demand for round-the-clock carbon-free power grew, driven in part by data center load. Analysts caution that meaningful new-build capacity will take years, and possibly a decade or more, before a significant number of new gigawatts reach the grid.
Source: Nuclear Energy Institute -- https://www.nei.org/news/state-of-the-nuclear-industry-2026