Nuclear power plants in the United States experienced fewer outages in the first three weeks of this year compared to 2025, according to a Monday report from the Energy Information Administration.
From Jan. 1 to Jan. 21, nuclear power outages averaged two gigawatts or 2,000 megawatts, which is 20% less than the same period in 2025. It also was below the previous five-year range for the same time period.
On paper, much of the idle nuclear generation was attributed to the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan. The plant is in the process of restarting operations. With the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) changing the status of Palisades from decommissioning to restarting, EIA has accounted for it.
Palisades percentage has been at 0% since then. On Jan. 6, Palisades accounted for three-quarters of the total U.S. nuclear outages, EIA said.
The EIA report collected data from Jan. 1 to Jan. 21, which occurred prior to Winter Storm Fern that began on Jan. 23.