Nuclear power in the U.S. - statistics & facts

The utilization of nuclear reactions for electricity generation was first commercialized at the end of the 1950s. Since then, the United States has become the largest consumer of nuclear power in the world, as well as the largest producer of this type of energy. Although the energy mix of the U.S. is still dominated by fossil fuels, namely natural gas and coal, the share of electricity generation from nuclear power in the U.S. has stood at around 20 percent since 1995, which was the highest level ever reached.

The declining age of nuclear reactors in the U.S.

Most of the U.S.’s nuclear power plants were constructed and became operational between the 1970s and the 1980s. In 2022, there were 92 nuclear-fired power units in around 28 different U.S. states. The age of these nuclear power reactors is declining: all except one are more than 20 years old and almost 50 plants are over 40 years old. Many of them will require a license renewal before 2050 to continue operations. The vast majority of these plants will be covered for 60 years under the original 40-year license and 20-year license extension. Some of them, such as Turkey Point 3 & 4, obtained a license extension for up to 80 years of operation. The reactors Vogtle 3 & 4 were the only commercial nuclear facilities under construction in 2022. Their launch is planned for 2023, after 10 years of construction work. The construction of two other nuclear reactors, Turkey Point 6 & 7, was planned for the end of the 2020s.

The struggles of the nuclear energy sector in the U.S.

The levelized cost of electricity production from nuclear sources in the U.S. is considerably higher than that from gas-fired and wind power plants, which, in addition, receive subsidies from the U.S. government. The competitiveness in deregulated electricity markets (approximately 50 percent of the nuclear electricity markets in the U.S.) led to early retirements of several nuclear facilities in the last few years when the operation and maintenance costs became unbearable. The policies implemented to maintain the nuclear energy leadership of the U.S. include the Environmental Protection Agency Clean Power Plan in 2015 and the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which will support the expansion of U.S. nuclear energy through a production tax credit for nuclear power plants starting in 2024.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

U.S. nuclear energy consumption: 8.12qn Btu

U.S. net nuclear power generation: 771.54 TWh

Leading U.S. state in nuclear energy generation: Illinois

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Leading nuclear power producing states in the United States in 2022 (in gigawatt-hours)

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy production in the U.S. 2022, by key state

Number of nuclear power reactors in the United States (U.S.) for selected years from 1957 and 2022

Nuclear Energy

Number of nuclear power reactors in the U.S. 1957-2022

Net nuclear power generation in the United States from 1975 to 2022 (in terawatt-hours)

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear electricity generation in the U.S. 1975-2022

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Power plants & capacity

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Production & consumption

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Industry

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Outlook

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