Trump administration loans $5 billion to Constellation Energy for nuclear data center expansion

On October 28, 2026, the Trump administration announced a conditional $5 billion Department of Energy loan commitment to Constellation Energy to expand nuclear capacity by 1.1 gigawatts across eight plants in Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Major tech firms including Google, Meta, and Amazon have pre-purchased most of the new capacity to fuel their artificial intelligence data centers. While officials claim the move supports affordable energy, Constellation has not confirmed ratepayer cost reductions.

Federal backing for Constellation reactor expansion

• ▪Constellation Energy's nuclear uprating projects involve upgrading plant equipment and using more highly enriched uranium to add 1,080 megawatts of nuclear capacity across its facilities
• ▪Constellation Energy plans to use $7 billion in total expenditure and federal financing to uprate 11 existing reactors at eight nuclear power plants across Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania

Tech company demand for nuclear power

• ▪Hyperscale technology companies, including Google, Meta, and Amazon, are committing tens of billions of dollars to secure electricity capacity for artificial intelligence data centers
• ▪Technology companies are competing for power capacity on the electrical grid as energy availability has become a major strategic advantage for operating artificial intelligence infrastructure
• ▪Google has contracted for expanded nuclear power from five Constellation Energy plants in Pennsylvania and Illinois, while Amazon buys from a Maryland facility and Meta claims Constellation Energy's Clinton plant in Illinois
• ▪Google, Meta, and Amazon have pre-purchased most or all of the additional 1.1 gigawatts of nuclear capacity created by Constellation Energy's reactor expansions