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America’s First Commercial Nuclear-Power Projects in a Decade Just Broke Ground
The first commercial U.S. nuclear-power projects in a decade began construction, with TerraPower breaking ground in Wyoming and Kairos Power breaking ground in Tennessee. Regulators had approved TerraPower’s construction license the previous month, marking a notable shift for the industry.
Why It Matters
This signals a potential resurgence of nuclear power in the United States as demand grows, particularly to power data centers and AI infrastructure, and tests a new generation of smaller, streamlined reactor designs.
Timeline
3 Events
TerraPower begins construction in Wyoming
April 22, 2026
TerraPower started construction on a grid-scale nuclear reactor in Wyoming. Chris Levesque, president and CEO of TerraPower, described the project as grid-scale and not a test reactor, stating it will be built in 42 months.
Kairos Power breaks ground in Tennessee
April 2026
Kairos Power broke ground in Tennessee on a plant that intends to sell power to Google, signaling one of the first new U.S. commercial nuclear efforts in years.
TerraPower receives construction license for first U.S. commercial nuclear project in years
March 2026
Federal regulators last month approved TerraPower's construction of a nuclear plant on a site where it had been building nonnuclear support facilities for nearly two years. It was the first such license in years for a commercial project, though the company will still need a separate approval to load fuel and begin operations.