Is nuclear power making a comeback?

Numbers match the citations in the article. A working link isn't proof that a page supports a claim; check the quoted passage and date.

1. 1

   The Path to a New Era for Nuclear Energy

   International Energy AgencyPublished Jan 16, 2025Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Nuclear generation is set to reach a record high in 2025. More than 70 GW of new capacity is under construction worldwide, but cost overruns and delays remain a major barrier, and SMRs must become cost-competitive to scale.”

2. 2

   Constellation to launch Crane Clean Energy Center, restoring jobs and carbon-free power to the grid

   Constellation EnergyPublished Sep 20, 2024Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “A 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft will restart Three Mile Island Unit 1, adding approximately 835 megawatts of carbon-free energy. The plant is expected to be online in 2028.”

3. 3

   Google signs advanced nuclear clean energy agreement with Kairos Power

   GooglePublished Oct 14, 2024Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “The agreement aims to bring Kairos Power's first small modular reactor online by 2030, followed by additional deployments through 2035, for up to 500 MW of new carbon-free power.”

4. 4

   Plant Vogtle Unit 4 begins commercial operation

   US Energy Information AdministrationPublished May 1, 2024Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Vogtle Unit 4 in Georgia began commercial operation, following Unit 3 in 2023; they were the first new reactors built from scratch in the US in decades, completed years late and far over budget.”

5. 5

   Nuclear power in the United States (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 4, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “In the United States, nuclear power is provided by 96 commercial reactors with a net capacity of 98 gigawatts (GW), with 65 pressurized water reactors and 31 boiling water reactors. In 2022, they produced a total of 771.5 terawatt-hours of electricity, and by 2024 nuclear energy accounted for 18.6% of the nation's total electric energy generation. In 2018, nuclear comprised nearly 50 percent of US emission-free energy generation. As of July 2026, 41 reactors have been permanently shut down. The United States is the world's largest producer of commercial nuclear power, and in 2013 generated 33% of the world's nuclear electricity. With the past and future scheduled plant closings, China and Russia could surpass the United States in nuclear energy production. As of January 2022, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) had granted license renewals to a total of 94 commercial reactors. In early 2014, the NRC prepared to receive the first applications of license renewal beyond 60 years of reactor life as early as 2017, a process which by law requires public involvement. Licenses for 22 reactors are due to expire before the end of 2029 if no renewals are granted.”

6. 6

   Nuclear power debate (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 2, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “The nuclear power debate is a long-running controversy about the risks and benefits of using nuclear reactors to generate electricity for civilian purposes. The debate about nuclear power peaked during the 1970s and 1980s, as more and more reactors were built and came online, and "reached an intensity unprecedented in the history of technology controversies" in some countries. In the 2010s, with growing public awareness about climate change and the critical role that carbon dioxide and methane emissions plays in causing the heating of the Earth's atmosphere, there was a resurgence in the intensity of the nuclear power debate. Proponents of nuclear energy argue that nuclear power is the only consistently reliable clean and sustainable energy source which provides large amounts of uninterrupted energy without polluting the atmosphere or emitting the carbon emissions that cause global warming. They argue that use of nuclear power provides well-paying jobs, energy security, reduces a dependence on imported fuels and exposure to price risks associated with resource speculation and foreign policy.”