The United States is experiencing a renewed interest in nuclear energy as a key component of its future energy mix amid rising electricity demand, climate concerns, and the expanding needs of the technology sector. After decades of decline following the last major nuclear construction phase in the early 1990s, industry leaders and policymakers are increasingly advocating for nuclear power alongside natural gas, wind, and solar resources.

Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Co., which operates the country’s two newest reactors at the Vogtle plant in Georgia, emphasized the importance of energy diversification. “You can’t put all the eggs in one basket,” he said, underscoring the need to upgrade existing nuclear capacity and support new builds to meet long-term energy requirements over the next several decades.

Nuclear power’s popularity waned in the late 20th century due to rising costs, slowed electricity demand growth, and heightened safety concerns following the partial meltdown at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island plant in 1979. That incident led to the cancellation of 67 planned nuclear projects between 1979 and 1988. However, recent concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and energy reliability have brought nuclear power back into the spotlight.

Public support for expanding nuclear energy has grown substantially, with about 60% of U.S. adults now favoring more nuclear power plants, according to a 2025 survey by the Pew Research Center, up from 43% in 2020. Tech companies have begun to endorse the role of nuclear energy as part of the broader energy transition. Microsoft, for example, signed a 20-year agreement in 2024 with Constellation Energy to restart a reactor at the former Three Mile Island site, now renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center, and is applying artificial intelligence to streamline regulatory permitting and plant design.

Despite this momentum, challenges remain in controlling costs and timelines for nuclear plant construction. To address these, the industry is exploring small modular reactors (SMRs), designed to reduce expenses through factory-style production and replication. Several SMR projects are underway in the United States and Canada. Dan Eggers, senior executive vice president at Constellation Energy—the largest U.S. nuclear plant operator—stated that replicable designs could improve both construction and operational costs.

Alongside new builds, efforts are underway to extend the lifespan and efficiency of existing nuclear reactors. The previous administration also sought to accommodate large reactor projects, announcing plans to support $80 billion in Westinghouse reactor development nationwide.

Beyond Earth, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is targeting nuclear power for lunar missions, aiming to deploy reactors on the moon potentially by 2030. These reactors would provide continuous power through the lunar night, fostering scientific and commercial activities. The White House has also expressed interest in advancing nuclear propulsion systems for spacecraft as early as 2028, which could enable more extensive missions and payload capacities.

Meanwhile, fusion power remains a longer-term prospect, promising clean energy without greenhouse gas emissions or high-level radioactive waste by fusing light atomic nuclei. Though commercial fusion remains at least a decade away, private companies such as Helion Energy, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and TAE Technologies are developing demonstration reactors, with plans to deliver fusion-generated electricity during the next decade.

As nuclear energy reemerges as a critical part of the U.S. energy landscape, its role will depend on overcoming economic and technical hurdles while integrating new technologies like SMRs and fusion into the power sector.