Constellation Secures $5B Conditional Loan from DOE to Scale Up Nuclear Fleet Across 3 States via Uprates
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) awarded a conditional loan commitment of up to $5 billion to modernize utility power producer Constellation Energy's nuclear fleet across Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
This effort will reportedly add roughly 1.1 GW of electricity through nuclear uprates to support the PJM Interconnection and Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) regions. According to the EDF, the commitment aims to strengthen grid resiliency while lowering energy costs for millions of Americans.
The announcement comes alongside a seperate $4.2 billion EDF loan comittment to independent utility-scale generator Vistra Corp., part of a broader federal push to boost its nuclear power generation goals and fuel a broader nuclear expansion vision amid the rise of AI and data centers.
The $5 billion EDF loan awarded to Constellation advances the administration's directive for DOE to facilitate 5 GW of power uprates from existing nuclear reactors under President Donald Trump’s Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base executive order, which was issued in May 2025. In tandem, DOE later launched the Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort (UPRISE) in March 2026 to accelerate the expansion of the nation’s nuclear capacity by maximizing power generation from existing reactors.
“These investments will add more reliable baseload power to the grid, help lower electricity costs, strengthen our nation’s energy security and fuel long-term American prosperity,” EDF director Gregory A. Beard said in a statement.
According to DOE, the administration has identified 95% of President Trump’s 5-GW uprate and restart objective to date. The EDF projects that the uprates within Constellation's nuclear fleet will add enough electricity across the PJM and MISO regions to power more than 930,000 homes.
“Uprates that maximize power generation from our existing nuclear facilities are yet another example of the commonsense energy addition policies the Trump administration is embracing—ensuring more affordable, reliable and secure energy for American families and businesses,” added U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
In tandem with federal support, private-sector demand is accelerating as hyperscalers move to secure this emissions-free baseload power.
For example, Google is partnering with Constellation to bring 890 MW of new, clean generation onto the PJM Interconnection grid through a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) tied to the UPRISE program. Expanding beyond the core loan regions, these investments will deliver new equipment and technology to uprate 11 Constellation-owned nuclear units across Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Simultaneously, Constellation is entering into a separate 20-year PPA with global tech giant Amazon to anchor long-term nuclear infrastructure and support the continued operation and expansion of the Calvert Cliffs Clean Energy Center nuclear plant in Maryland. This agreement will enable more than $3 billion in investments across the Maryland PJM market, bringing roughly 190 MW of new, generating capacity through plant uprates scheduled to come online between 2030 and 2032.
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Eric MoodyEric Moody
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