// nuclear & fusion
A dated, sourced log of steps to restart shut-down U.S. nuclear plants and raise the output of operating reactors since September 2024. It covers NRC decisions, federal loans, owner decisions and work at the plants.
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36 entries from 37 sources. Checked for news weekly; last checked
This tracker logs steps to get more electricity from nuclear reactors the United States has already built. It covers September 2024 to October 2026. A restart brings back a plant that had shut down for good. A power uprate raises the power level an operating reactor is licensed for. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) must approve it first.
An event gets an entry if it is one of these. All but the last must name a reactor or its owner:
Each entry cites a page that confirms its date and facts. Future targets are marked as scheduled and attributed to whoever set them. As of October 8, 2026, none of the three restart projects had returned a plant to service. They are Palisades, Crane and Duane Arnold. The NRC's reactor status report for that day listed Palisades at zero power. The NRC's list of approved uprates, last reviewed or updated on September 15, 2026, shows none approved since November 2021.
Left out on purpose: new reactors, small modular reactors, fusion, license renewals, routine inspections and public meetings. Power contracts signed by data center operators are on the AI data center megaprojects tracker, even when they pay for an uprate.
Targets set by the organizations named. Dates like these often move.
Scheduled
The Department of Energy said on May 23, 2026 that UPRISE aims for 2.5 gigawatts of added nuclear capacity by 2027 and 5 gigawatts by 2029. It counted planned uprates at six reactors at the Hatch, Vogtle and Farley plants, a combined 345 megawatts.
Scheduled
NextEra Energy has listed a restart target of the first quarter of 2029, ANS Nuclear Newswire reported on April 16, 2026. At an April 14 public meeting, an NRC project manager said the agency will issue its licensing actions before January 2028.
Scheduled
Vistra intends to apply for an extended power uprate at Perry in the third quarter of 2029. ANS Nuclear Newswire reported this on October 6, 2026, citing the NRC's list. Beaver Valley 2, Beaver Valley 1 and Davis-Besse follow in 2030, 2031 and 2032.
Scheduled
Constellation chief executive Joe Dominguez gave the target on the company's second-quarter 2026 earnings call. He said NRC and FERC approvals pave the way for Crane to restart in the second half of 2027. ANS Nuclear Newswire reported it on August 13, 2026.
Scheduled
As of September 8, 2026, the NRC's summary table counted 31 uprate applications expected from 2026 through 2032. Seventeen were expected in 2027, including units at Brunswick, McGuire, Salem and Hatch. The table put the 31 at about 2,421 megawatts electric. Its unit-by-unit list showed 30.
Source: Expected Applications for Power Uprates, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Palisades Energy (Holtec) asked the NRC on September 30 to approve custom equipment and procedures for moving a tilted fuel assembly. It would go from the reactor core to the spent fuel pool. The NRC said it is reviewing the request and that the fuel rods remain intact and safe.
The Department of Energy announced a conditional commitment to finance uprates and modernization at Vistra's Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse and Perry plants. It said the projects would add 433 megawatts. Vistra must meet conditions before DOE signs or funds the loan.
Holtec said one fuel assembly tilted from its upright position after it was placed in the reactor vessel. It said the NRC was notified and that the event did not trigger safety reporting rules. Fuel loading remained paused. The report gave no restart date.
Source: Progress Report on Palisades’ March to Startup, Holtec International
The NRC's Crane page says the agency issued its final environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact on September 18. That finding means a full environmental impact statement is not required. Requests to restore the operating license were still under review.
Source: Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Workers reconnected Palisades to its 345-kilovolt switchyard, ANS Nuclear Newswire reported. The switchyard is the path its power will take to the grid. Holtec said final commissioning and testing were continuing. The work was coordinated with transmission operator ITC.
The Department of Energy announced the financial close of a loan of up to $1.9 billion to NextEra Energy. It will help finance restarting Duane Arnold in Linn County, Iowa. DOE said the restart would return 615 megawatts and is pending NRC licensing approvals.
Holtec said Palisades began loading nuclear fuel into the reactor vessel that morning. The step places the plant in Mode 6 under its technical specifications. The core holds 204 fuel assemblies, some new and some partially used. Tests and inspections follow.
The NRC posted a draft environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for restarting Duane Arnold, ANS Nuclear Newswire reported. Staff found the effects not significant in each area studied. Public comments were open through September 2.
Source: NRC issues draft EA/FONSI for Duane Arnold restart, American Nuclear Society (Nuclear Newswire)
Holtec said the last major restart projects were closed out over the past several weeks. They included a new fuel handling machine. It said more than 5,000 individual work activities remained before startup. Those are routine maintenance, testing, inspection and readiness work.
Source: Palisades’ Methodical March Toward Restart Reaches a Major Milestone, Holtec International
In Amendment 307, the NRC approved Constellation's request to revise Crane's license and technical specifications. The change allows receipt and possession of new nuclear fuel at the plant. Constellation had filed the request on June 27, 2025.
Source: Christopher M. Crane Clean Energy Center, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
In a June 9 news release, the NRC said restarting Crane would have no significant environmental impacts. Its draft environmental assessment was open for comment until July 8. The restart would return more than 800 megawatts to the grid, it said. A final decision is expected in 2027.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Constellation's waiver request, ANS Nuclear Newswire reported. It lets PJM capacity interconnection rights move from the Eddystone plant to Crane. Constellation had argued Crane's full deliverability could otherwise be in limbo until December 2030.
The NRC announced a chance to request a hearing on NextEra's license amendment requests. They were submitted between November 2025 and January 2026. They would reinstate parts of the Duane Arnold license needed for an operating reactor. Requests were due by June 22.
The NRC issued an order approving the direct transfer of the Duane Arnold license to NextEra Energy Duane Arnold. The move consolidates all ownership interests in that company. The NRC says the request is independent of the restart licensing actions.
Source: Duane Arnold Energy Center, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Holtec announced it had completed passivation of the Palisades primary system, ANS Nuclear Newswire reported. Holtec called it an essential step for long-term equipment reliability. The system was brought to normal operating temperature and pressure. A spokesperson gave no restart date.
The Department of Energy introduced UPRISE, an effort to raise the output of existing reactors and bring dormant plants back. It aims for 2.5 gigawatts of added nuclear capacity by 2027 and 5 gigawatts by 2029. DOE said it can finance up to 80 percent of eligible uprate costs.
Source: The Nation’s Nuclear Reactor Fleet Is on the Rise, U.S. Department of Energy
The Department of Energy said it closed a $26.5 billion loan package for two Southern Company subsidiaries. It said the loans will build or upgrade over 16 gigawatts of power. That includes 6 gigawatts of nuclear improved through uprates and license renewals.
The NRC announced a chance to request a hearing on Constellation's license amendment requests, filed between July and October 2025. They would restore parts of the Crane license needed for an operating reactor. Hearing requests were due by April 27. It said docketing them does not signal approval.
A Holtec spokesperson told Michigan Public the company was planning for a restart in early 2026. Holtec had been saying it planned to resume generating electricity by the end of 2025. The plant stopped operating in 2022.
Source: Palisades nuclear plant restart plans pushed back to "early 2026", Michigan Public
The Department of Energy said its Loan Programs Office closed a $1 billion loan to Constellation Energy Generation. It will help finance Crane, an 835-megawatt plant in Pennsylvania that stopped operating in 2019. The restart is pending NRC licensing approvals.
NextEra Energy announced plans to restart Duane Arnold, Iowa's only nuclear plant, ANS Nuclear Newswire reported. The plant was shut in 2020. The restart is slated for completion by the first quarter of 2029. A 25-year power purchase agreement with Google supports it.
Source: NextEra and Google ink a deal to restart Duane Arnold, American Nuclear Society (Nuclear Newswire)
Holtec said Palisades had received 68 new fuel assemblies, made in the United States. After inspection, the fuel was stored in the spent fuel pool building until loading. A second refurbished primary coolant pump motor had also been installed.
Source: New Fuel Arrives at Palisades to Power Its Imminent Restart, Holtec International
The Department of Energy released $155,944,659 to Holtec. It was the sixth payment from a loan guarantee of up to $1.52 billion for the Palisades restart. DOE said $491,056,853 had been disbursed to date.
Holtec said Palisades officially moved from decommissioning to operations status under NRC oversight. It said the plant was now authorized to receive nuclear fuel. It could restart once conditions in its technical specifications were met.
Source: Historic First: Palisades Transitions Back to Operations Status, Holtec International
The NRC approved a series of licensing actions for Palisades. They included transferring operating authority to Palisades Energy and reinstating the technical specifications. The NRC said the approvals allow Holtec to load fuel. More reviews were needed before startup.
Constellation said Crane could restart as early as 2027, after grid operator PJM approved an early interconnection request. It described that as ahead of schedule. The company said nearly 400 full-time employees were on board at the site.
Source: Central Pennsylvania Rallies in Support of the Crane Clean Energy Center, Constellation Energy
Executive Order 14302 told the Department of Energy to work with industry to facilitate 5 gigawatts of power uprates at existing reactors. It paired that with having 10 new large reactors under construction by 2030. It told DOE's loan office to prioritize support for restarts and higher output.
Source: Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base, The White House
Energy Northwest says its board approved the business case in April 2025 and the Bonneville Power Administration approved the uprate that May. The extended power uprate at Columbia Generating Station in Washington adds about 162 megawatts electric by 2031. An NRC request is planned for 2028.
Source: Modernizing for more megawatts: Columbia’s EPU journey, American Nuclear Society (Nuclear Newswire)
NextEra Energy Duane Arnold sent the NRC its regulatory path to reauthorize power operations at the Iowa plant. It also requested an exemption from certain license termination rules. The NRC's acceptance review of the exemption request is dated February 27, 2025.
Source: Duane Arnold Energy Center, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Constellation said it would restart Three Mile Island Unit 1, shut since 2019, as the Crane Clean Energy Center. A 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft backs the plan. Constellation said the plant would add about 835 megawatts and was expected online in 2028.
The Department of Energy says it announced the closing of a $1.52 billion loan to Holtec Palisades in September 2024. The loan helps finance returning the 800-megawatt Michigan plant to service. Palisades stopped operating in May 2022.
The ninth and last sector of ITER's vacuum vessel reached the site in France on October 2, 2026. ITER says all components for its core machine are now on site, but years of assembly remain.
SMRs are fission reactors of up to 300 megawatts designed for factory assembly. North American regulators approved the first construction projects in 2025 and 2026; none is operating yet.
Fusion has reached ignition in the lab 11 times, but no fusion power plant is operating commercially. Company targets start in 2028; public roadmaps point to the mid-2030s or later.