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Yesterday, Constellation announced that it has entered into a long-term nuclear power purchase agreement (PPA) for 176 MW of electricity from its Dresden nuclear power plant. That PPA, which will also help facilitate a 30-MWe uprate, is providing power to an unusual partner: Walmart.
Craig Piercy
cpiercy@ans.org
May is a month when we pause—briefly—to recognize something that too often goes unsaid: the extraordinary performance of the existing U.S. nuclear fleet. Capacity factors remain above 90 percent (with a median of 91.29 for the three-year period 2023–2025—see Nuclear News, May 2026, p. 24), an impressive figure delivered at a scale unmatched anywhere else on the globe. That level of sustained output is not an accident of design; it is a daily achievement. It reflects the discipline, professionalism, and pride of the men and women who operate and maintain these facilities, often without fanfare.
In this issue, you will also read about the important work researchers at our national laboratories are doing to extract even greater efficiency from the plants we already have. That effort deserves more attention, because it points to a fundamental truth: the fastest, most reliable way to expand nuclear generation in the United States is not solely through new builds—it is by maximizing the assets already on the grid.
U.S. nuclear capacity additions are falling short of ambitious expectations set (and then reset) in recent years. Despite construction permits submitted or approved at this writing, new commercial, utility-scale nuclear generation is still a few years away from operation.
The American Nuclear Society is hosting a new Supplier Showcase webinar, “Digital Tools for Power Uprates: Using DVR and PEPSE to Enhance MUR and Performance Studies,” on January 27 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EST).
The webinar is free for all viewers and requires registration.
DTE Energy, the owner of Fermi nuclear power plant in Michigan, is considering an extended uprate for Unit 2 that would increase its 1,100-MW generation capacity by 150 MW.