The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing today announced a conditional loan commitment of up to $5 billion to finance nuclear uprates and modernization across Constellation Energy’s nuclear fleet in Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
October 27, 2026
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) today announced a conditional loan commitment of up to $5 billion to finance nuclear uprates and modernization across Constellation Energy’s nuclear fleet in Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The modernization efforts will add nearly 1.1 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, strengthening the grid and lowering costs for millions of Americans across the PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) and Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) regions.
The loan advances President Trump’s Executive Order, Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base, which calls for DOE to facilitate 5 GW of power uprates from existing nuclear reactors. In March 2026, in accordance with the Executive Order, DOE launched its Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort (UPRISE) to accelerate the expansion of the nation’s nuclear capacity by maximizing power generation from existing reactors. To date, 95% of President Trump’s 5-GW uprate and restart goal has been identified.
“The Energy Department is accelerating President Trump’s American nuclear renaissance and unlocking the full potential of our nation’s nuclear fleet,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “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.”
The projects will add enough electricity to power more than 930,000 homes—lowering costs and strengthening grid reliability in Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and across the PJM and MISO regions. The investments will support more than 10,000 project-related jobs across Constellation’s nuclear fleet while delivering affordable, reliable power to American homes and businesses.
“EDF is delivering on President Trump and Secretary Wright’s commitment to unleash American nuclear power by financing projects that modernize and expand our nation’s existing nuclear plants,” said EDF Director Gregory A. Beard. “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.”
Constellation’s planned investments at Braidwood, Byron, Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle, and Quad Cities in Illinois; Calvert Cliffs in Maryland; and Limerick in Pennsylvania will produce more electricity from existing nuclear plants, maximizing America’s existing energy infrastructure while supporting growing demand for affordable, reliable, and secure power. EDF’s conditional loan commitment also includes an option to finance future uprate projects at additional Constellation facilities.
While this conditional commitment indicates DOE’s intent to provide a loan, Constellation must satisfy certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions before the Department enters into definitive financing documents and funds the loan.