US nuclear power is projected to hold a steady 18 percent share of national electricity generation in 2026, roughly level with 2025, even as demand from data centers reshapes the supply picture. The Energy Information Administration expects the fleet to maintain that share while utilities and technology companies move to add capacity through restarts and new construction.
Retired plants are coming back. Operators announced plans to reopen Three Mile Island Unit 1 in Pennsylvania and the Palisades plant in Michigan, both driven by long-term power agreements tied to data center demand. The restarts mark a reversal from the shutdowns that thinned the fleet over the past decade.
New partnerships are also forming. GE Vernova entered a strategic collaboration with Blue Energy to advance what the companies describe as the first gas-plus-nuclear power plant, to be built at a Blue Energy site in Texas and paired with a nearby data center campus. The design combines gas generation with nuclear output to serve round-the-clock load.
Federal backing is substantial. In October 2025, the US government announced an 80 billion dollar strategic partnership with Westinghouse Electric Company to deploy a fleet of AP1000 and AP300 reactors across the country, with government-arranged financing and streamlined permitting. The commitment signals a policy push to expand large-scale nuclear alongside the smaller reactors advancing through licensing. Together the moves point to a sector shifting from contraction to expansion as electricity demand climbs.
Source: American Nuclear Society - https://www.ans.org/news/article-8165/industry-updatejuly-2026/