In 2024, U.S. utilities operated 94 nuclear reactors with a total net generating capacity of nearly 97 GW, the largest commercial nuclear power generation fleet in the world.
The next three countries with the largest programs were France with 57 units (63.0 GW), China with 57 units (55.3 GW), and Russia with 36 units (28.6 GW). Nuclear power continues to account for 19% of U.S. power sector electricity generation.
America’s nuclear reactor fleet consists of 54 power plants, each of which has one to four operating units. Plant Vogtle in Georgia is the largest nuclear power plant with four reactors and a total generating capacity of around 4.5 GW. The R.E. Ginna plant in New York is the smallest nuclear power plant with its one 0.6-GW reactor.
The U.S. operates the world’s largest nuclear power plant fleet
After Georgia Power added one reactor in 2023 and another in 2024, Plant Vogtle became the largest U.S. nuclear power plant, with Units 3 and 4 each having a generating capacity of 1.1 GW. Before the recent addition of the reactors at Vogtle, the Palo Verde plant (3.9 GW) in Arizona was the largest nuclear facility in the United States. The two reactors at Vogtle and one reactor at Watts Bar in Tennessee are the only new nuclear reactors to come online in the United States since 1996.
Twelve U.S. nuclear power reactors have permanently closed since 2013. However, plant operators have maintained consistently high annual capacity factors, which measure how much time units are operating. U.S. nuclear capacity factors have increased in part because of shorter refueling and maintenance outages and improved operational experience.
The U.S. operates the world’s largest nuclear power plant fleet
Some newer policies aim to support continued operations at nuclear power plants. In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy provided credits to support the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California. In 2024, the electricity produced at Diablo Canyon (2.2 GW) accounted for 9% of California’s total electricity generation. More recently, the U.S. Department of Energy approved a loan to support restarting the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan. If realized, Palisades would become the first previously retired nuclear power plant in the United States to return to operating status.
