Three decommissioned nuclear plants to restart to support growing energy demand

By EPN Staff

To meet rising demand for reliable electricity generation, three decommissioned nuclear power plants in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Iowa will be restarted in the next four years with the support of the Trump Administration. 

• The Palisades Nuclear Generating Station on the shores of Lake Michigan will become the first American nuclear power plant to be reactivated after filing to decommission. The plant will start producing electricity again in 2026, four years after halting operations in 2022. 
• Constellation is restarting the Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania, formerly known as Three Mile Island, in 2027 ahead of schedule. 
• In late October, Google and NextEra Energy signed a 25-year agreement to bring Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, back online in 2029. 

“Thanks to the leadership of the Trump Administration, Google and NextEra Energy are answering the call of America’s golden age of power demand, creating thousands of jobs, strengthening Iowa’s economy, delivering long-term value to our shareholders and helping power America’s future through innovation and technology,” said John Ketchum, chairman and CEO of NextEra Energy.

Why it matters

Electricity consumption in 2025 surpassed the all-time high reached in 2024 and will continue to increase, according to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. New data centers, manufacturing, and electrification efforts have increased demand across the country. 

The Trump Administration is encouraging the development of reliable electricity generation to prevent additional price hikes and the risk of blackouts. 

A report from the U.S. Department of Energy predicts that blackouts could increase by 100 times the average if states close power plants and do not add more baseload capacity. Even in the near term, consumers are seeing increases on their bills. U.S. households that heat their homes with electricity will see their winter heating bills rise 10% over last year’s level according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

The bigger picture

In the spring, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to encourage the U.S. to build 10 new large nuclear reactors by 2030. The administration has set aside $80 billion in financing to support the effort. 

The administration has provided grants and loans to finance new construction of large and small reactors and to restart shuttered facilities, support for a domestic fuel supply chain, regulatory reform and accelerated licensing processes. 

The U.S. has 94 commercial nuclear reactors at 54 plants in 28 states, most of which were built between 1967 and 1990. Nuclear power supplies approximately 19% of the nation’s electricity according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Additional details

The Trump administration just loaned Constellation Energy Corp $1 billion to support the Crane Clean Energy Center restart.  A study commissioned by the Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council found restarting the site will help the state meet escalating electricity demands, while creating 600 plant jobs, reducing carbon emissions and generating $16 billion in economic activity over the next two decades.   

Holtec International received a $1.52 billion loan agreement from the Department of Energy to restart the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station which had closed in 2022. The company has also received $400 million from DOE to construct two small modular reactors (SMR) to increase output by 600 megawatts of energy beyond the current 800 megawatts being produced. 

Iowa’s sole nuclear plant was shuttered after it was damaged in a storm in 2020. Once reopened, the Duane Arnold Energy Center is expected to support 400 full-time jobs and $320 million in annual economic output.