As of May 2025, nuclear energy production accounted for 18.1% of the United States’ overall energy and also accounted for 47% of the nation’s zero-emissions power.
When the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law in 2022, the United States found itself garnering support for new and existing nuclear energy development through investment and tax incentives. The goal of the IRA in terms of nuclear energy was to expand its existing infrastructure in the United States, and the Trump Administration set a goal in May 2025 to quadruple its nuclear-sourced energy production by 2050.
As of May 2025, nuclear energy production accounted for 18.1% of the United States’ overall energy and also accounted for 47% of the nation’s zero-emissions power. The first nuclear power reactors came online in the United States in 1958. Currently, there are 93 operating commercial nuclear reactors at 54 nuclear power plants in 28 states, and the average age of the nuclear reactors is 42 years. The number of nuclear reactors that were active in 2013 was 104; however, that number had decreased to 92 by 2022. The newest facility opened in Georgia in 2023, and there have been upgrades to the current facilities to improve overall energy production capacity, so the overall decrease was not felt due to increased efficiency of the current reactor sites.
According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the average cost of operating a nuclear energy plant in 2023 was $31.76 per megawatt-hour. This has actually decreased by about 40% since 2012, due to an overall decrease in fuel costs, a 51% decrease in capital expenditures, and a 33% decrease in operating costs. It typically takes about 6-8 years to build a nuclear reactor. Although updates are less extensive, the existing infrastructure already in place means the update process can be just as time-consuming.
In the United States, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was established in 1952 by the United States Congress to create an independent agency that would monitor the usage and development of nuclear energy reactors. The Department of Energy oversees the disposal of nuclear fuel. Despite this, Congress has been at an impasse since 2010 in deciding on the status of developing a permanent geologic nuclear repository. Thus, the cost of nuclear waste disposal in the United States is high. Nuclear waste is exceptionally at risk for climate change disasters such as increasing wildfires, flooding, and hurricanes, and the amount of waste currently in temporary storage in the United States measures at a whopping 90,000 metric tonnes.
Unless we continue to develop effective programs and storage methods for nuclear waste, it is going to become a huge risk for people who are exposed to it, especially when natural disasters are becoming more frequent. We can only hope that the most brilliant minds in the industry are working to advance solutions regarding nuclear waste and continue to improve nuclear energy production. It is an essential means of production to mitigate climate change. It also is important for the general public to be educated on how we can continue to advocate for a better future by more efficient means of energy production.
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard US Country Manager, Abby Carlson.