Nuclear Energy Generation by State

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Last updated January 9, 2023

Nuclear energy remains a major source of power in the U.S. Nuclear power accounts for 18.8% of total electricity generated in the U.S., according to the January Nuclear Energy Report. The report is based on the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which shows nuclear generation by state from October 2022.

Which state generates the largest amount of energy from nuclear sources? The EIA says that in January, it was Illinois, with 8,060 thousand megawatt-hours. Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming don’t generate a significant amount of nuclear energy, so they will not be included in the findings below.

The following charts are based on a ChooseEnergy.com® analysis of the EIA data.

Across the country, electricity generation from nuclear power decreased by 7.5% from September to October. The U.S. produced a total of 58,945 thousand megawatt-hours of nuclear energy in October. Of the states with significant nuclear generation, 12 states experienced increases in nuclear generation from month to month.

Following is a list of the states with significant nuclear energy generation, the amounts (in thousand megawatt-hours) produced in October, and the percentage change from September to October.

Nationally, nuclear generation increased by 3.5% from October 2021 to October 2022. 18 states experienced increases within the year, while 10 states experienced decreased production.

Generation increased by the greatest percentage in New Hampshire. Following are the states that increased the most in nuclear power generation compared to last year:

Generation decreased by the greatest percentage in Nebraska, where it fell by 98.5% since October 2021.

The answer can change each month. In October, New Hampshire topped the list, with 64.2% of the state’s electricity coming from nuclear energy.

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