The US nuclear sector is moving through a period of rapid regulatory and construction activity in 2026. The nation's licensed reactors continue to supply close to 20 percent of US electricity, and nuclear is projected to hold an 18 percent share of generation this year, roughly steady with 2025.
Regulators have picked up the pace on approvals. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the restart of a shuttered reactor for the first time, clearing Holtec's Palisades plant in Michigan to return to service later this year. The commission also completed what it described as its fastest ever license renewal, for Duke Energy's Robinson Unit 2, and signaled it would apply the same schedule to future renewals.
Advanced reactor projects reached milestones as well. TerraPower received a construction permit in March, the first the commission has issued for a commercial non-light-water power reactor, and broke ground on its Natrium plant the following month. The Department of Energy set up a fast-track pilot allowing certain advanced reactors to reach initial criticality at non-federal sites, and the commission is reviewing a construction permit application from the Tennessee Valley Authority for a GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 reactor at Oak Ridge.
The activity follows a series of federal executive orders aimed at expanding domestic nuclear capacity to meet rising electricity demand, including load growth from data centers. Officials describe the combination of restarts, faster renewals, and new construction permits as a shift after years of stagnation in reactor development.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy - https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/one-year-after-executive-orders-us-nuclear-energy-renaissance-full-swing