Constellation, Vistra uprate deals signal fastest path to new nuclear megawatts

The fastest path to more nuclear power may be getting more juice from the reactors already on the grid. Google, Constellation Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy are backing billions of dollars in nuclear uprates that could add more than 1.3 GW of capacity — much of it in the increasingly power-hungry PJM Interconnection. The three entities jointly announced a 20-year power purchase agreement on Tuesday, supporting 890 MW of upgrades at 11 reactors across six nuclear plants in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Constellation expects to invest more than $4.3 billion in the upgrades. The first wave of additional capacity is expected in 2028. The companies also signed a 15-year agreement covering 2,700 MW of Constellation’s existing PJM generation, bringing the overall deal to 3,590 MW. Only the 890 MW of uprates, however, represents new capacity. Google’s agreement includes demand-response provisions allowing the tech giant to cut noncritical electricity use during periods of grid stress.

DOE puts $4.2 billion behind more nuclear megawatts

A day earlier, DOE announced a conditional loan commitment of up to $4.2 billion for Vistra to upgrade its nuclear fleet.

The projects would add 433 MW of capacity at Beaver Valley in Pennsylvania and Davis-Besse and Perry in Ohio while preserving nearly 4 GW of existing nuclear generation.

Another tech giant expects to benefit from the additional capacity. We reported in January that Vistra entered into 20-year PPAs to provide more than 2,600 MW of energy from the three nuclear plants to support Meta’s operations in the PJM region. This includes the 433 MW of incremental capacity from the uprates.

Meta’s purchases under the agreements would begin in late 2026, Vistra reported earlier this year, with additional capacity added to the grid through 2034.

Perry is a single-unit power plant located on Lake Erie, about 40 miles northeast of Cleveland in Perry, Ohio. The plant has a capacity of 1,268 MW and provides more than 600 full-time jobs in the North Perry area. Davis-Besse is a single-unit power plant in Oak Harbor, Ohio, located on Lake Erie, approximately 35 miles east of Toledo. The plant has a capacity of 908 MW. Beaver Valley is a two-unit power plant in western Pennsylvania, about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The plant has a capacity of 1,872 MW.

DOE’s latest financing could support future uprates at Vistra’s Comanche Peak nuclear plant in Texas.

No new reactor required

The back-to-back announcements underscore a growing strategy for meeting surging U.S. electricity demand: Get more juice from the nuclear plants already on the grid.

Uprates can boost reactor output through upgrades to turbines, steam generators, controls and other equipment without the timeline — or price tag — of building an entirely new nuclear plant.

That’s especially attractive in PJM, where data center growth is helping push electricity demand higher.

More Nuclear Upgrades

Google to pay for nuclear uprates at Georgia Power’s Hatch, Vogtle plants

Vistra and Meta ink PPA for 2.6 GW of nuclear power in PJM region

Nuclear steam-side upgrades aim to deliver fast, firm megawatts

Google said its Constellation agreement brings the amount of new U.S. nuclear capacity it has helped enable through uprates and reactor restarts to more than 1.5 GW. For a grid hunting for firm power, existing nuclear plants are increasingly looking like low-hanging megawatts.