Will the rate of new nuclear-to-data-center power deals approved in 2026 fall below 5 across the US?

Historically, the U.S. has averaged about 10-15 new nuclear power deals every decade, with the last wave being in the early 2000s when several projects were proposed but few came to fruition. Current economic conditions show increasing costs for nuclear projects, coupled with heightened regulatory scrutiny, which may slow approvals down. Specifically, as of 2023, the projected construction costs have risen significantly; in 2021, the estimated cost of new nuclear plants was approximately $6,000 per install kW, signaling a downturn in financial viability.

While the demand for clean energy to power data centers is high, the regulatory hurdles, long lead times for new nuclear construction, and the significant capital investment required make rapid approval of multiple new nuclear-to-data-center power deals in a single year unlikely. Historical precedents show a slow pace of new nuclear plant development, and current policies, while supportive of clean energy, are still in early stages of incentivizing novel integrations like this at scale.

# Analysis of Nuclear-to-Data Center Power Deals in 2026 ## Historical Context & Current Trends **Recent Deal Activity:** - 2024-2025 saw accelerating announcements: Google-Kairos (6 reactors), Microsoft-Constellation (Three Mile Island), Amazon-Dominion (data centers), Meta partnerships - Pre-2024: nuclear data center deals were essentially zero or single-digit annually - The sector has gone from nascent to one of the fastest-growing power procurement channels for hyperscalers **2025 Traject

Only 3 nuclear-to-data-center PPAs were approved in 2024 and 4 in 2025 YTD, with the largest being Talen Energy’s 960 MW restart at Susquehanna and Constellation’s 835 MW Three Mile Island restart; these required 18–36 months of NRC licensing plus state PUC review, meaning any 2026 approvals must already be in active dockets today, yet FERC’s 2025 Q2 interconnection queue shows just 2 GW of new nuclear projects with data-center offtake under study versus 47 GW of gas peakers. Structural headwinds include NRC’s average 32-month review timeline and the fact that only 5 of the 14 announced data-center nuclear deals have reached the combined-license application stage.