How many nuclear plants are operating in the US in 2024?
Americans’ support for nuclear power is rising but without new plants to replace aging facilities production of this clean energy is likely to shrink.
Congress passed the ADVANCE Act with strong bipartisan support this summer. It is hoped that the legislation will help reinvigorate the US nuclear industry that has been shedding reactors since peaking at 112.
Support among the public for nuclear energy has been on the rise in recent years returning to the highest level in a decade according to Gallup. However, even so, there are currently no new reactors currently being built.
However, Microsoft is looking to give new life to the Three Mile Island nuclear plant to meet its commitment to be “carbon negative” by 2030. The company reached a 20-year agreement with the owner of the plant, Constellation Energy, to supply carbon-free electricity to its AI data centers.
How many nuclear plants are operating in the US in 2024?
There are now 94 nuclear reactors operating at 54 nuclear power plants in 28 states as of June 2024. Those reactors in 2023 produced 775 billion kilowatthours of electricity, enough to power over 72 million homes. The United States produces the most nuclear energy of any country.
In May 2024, the most recent nuclear reactor to come online was the Unit 4 at Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia. The year before Unit 3 at the same facility began commercial operation. The now four-reactor facility made the Vogtle nuclear power plant the largest generator of clean energy in the nation.
With 11 reactors, Illinois is the state in the US with the most. And like South Carolina and New Hampshire it receives over half of its electricity from nuclear.
Nuclear energy is the most reliable source of power
Nuclear energy is one of the most reliable sources of energy in the United States. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, nuclear power plants ran at full capacity over 93% of the time in 2023. They are designed to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Furthermore, they can do so over longer periods of time before they need to be refueled thanks to less need for maintenance. They need to be refueled generally every year and a half to two years.
Since the 1990s, when the number of operational reactors peaked, 20% of the nation’s energy has been supplied by nuclear. In 2023, it was the largest source of clean energy providing 48% of America’s carbon-free electricity according to the Department of Energy.
However, the fleet of reactors is getting old, the average commercial reactor is 42, they typically last 40 years but can be extended. 22 commercial reactors are in various stages of decommissioning according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and none are currently in the pipeline to replace them. That means the US is projected to produce 20% less nuclear energy by 2040 than it does today.