The U.S. nuclear power sector is entering a period of renewed momentum, with the nation's fleet of more than 90 commercial reactors generating close to 20 percent of the country's electricity and holding a steady share of the grid in 2026. Regulators and operators are moving to extend the life of existing plants and bring shuttered capacity back online.
For the first time, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the restart of a previously closed reactor, Holtec's Palisades plant in Michigan, which is scheduled to return to service later this year. The agency also completed its fastest-ever license renewal for Duke Energy's Robinson Unit 2 in South Carolina, clearing the long-running reactor to operate through 2050 and adding 20 years to its previous timeline. The NRC has signaled it intends to replicate that accelerated schedule for future renewal applications.
Federal policy is reinforcing the trend. The Department of Energy unveiled an initiative aimed at adding 5 gigawatts of nuclear capacity through power uprates at existing plants and restarts of idled units. New construction is also taking shape. Elementl Power announced plans to develop a nuclear plant with capacity of up to 1.5 gigawatts in southeast Ohio, signing an early works agreement with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy to use BWRX-300 small modular reactors, placing it among the first new SMR projects in the country.
Source: Nuclear Energy Institute - https://www.nei.org/news/state-of-the-nuclear-industry-2026