The US nuclear power sector is moving through a period of expansion in 2026, marked by reactor restarts, new construction permits, and ambitious capacity targets. The country's 94 licensed reactors currently generate almost 20% of the nation's electricity, and policymakers are pushing to grow that base substantially in the decades ahead.
For the first time, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the restart of a previously retired reactor. Holtec's Palisades plant in Michigan is scheduled to return to service later this year, a milestone that opens a path for other shuttered units to come back online. Constellation's Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania, the former Three Mile Island Unit 1, is set to restart in 2027, with Duane Arnold to follow in 2029. Much of the renewed interest is driven by utilities and technology companies seeking firm power for data center growth.
Federal policy has accelerated the shift. Executive orders set a target to expand US nuclear capacity from roughly 100 gigawatts today to 400 gigawatts by 2050, while the ADVANCE Act of 2024 directed the NRC to streamline licensing for new reactors and fuels and strengthen its workforce.
The regulatory framework is adapting to new reactor types as well. The combination of restarts, supportive policy, and rising electricity demand has placed nuclear power at the center of US grid planning, reversing years of plant closures and positioning the technology for sustained growth.
Source: NEI - https://www.nei.org/news/state-of-the-nuclear-industry-2026