AI power demand fuels US nuclear uprate wave as Constellation, Vistra expand
Surging electricity demand from AI data centers is driving a wave of "power uprates" at US nuclear plants. Constellation plans to spend more than $4.3 billion upgrading 11 existing reactors at six plants, adding nearly 1 GW of capacity, with Google agreeing to a 20-year power purchase agreement for the output. The US Department of Energy, meanwhile, announced a $4.2 billion loan to Vistra to support upgrades at three plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio adding 433 MW, backed by a long-term PPA with Meta. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects uprate applications totaling 2.4 GW of added capacity by 2032, while grid operator PJM estimates AI alone will add roughly 30 GW of peak demand by 2030.
Uprates are among the fastest incremental sources of clean power for data centers, but their total potential falls far short of the demand AI is adding.