Commercial nuclear energy in the U.S. begins 2026 with strong momentum toward future expansion, but it will be years before new-build capacity comes online and possibly a decade or more before a significant amount of new gigawatts is added to the grid.

The demand for energy storage capacity is driving a flurry of proposals for new pumped storage hydropower while proposals for new conventional facilities are limited to small-scale projects.

With support from the Trump administration and demand from data centers, 2025 and now 2026 are high times for the U.S. natural gas sector.

DOE is exceeding its authority by using Federal Power Act Section 202(c) to keep the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan running under several consecutive “emergency” orders, opponents argued in recent court filings with the D.C. Circuit.