Nuclear Energy Generation by State

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Last updated November 3, 2023

Nuclear energy remains a major power source in the U.S. Nuclear power accounts for 16.5% of the total electricity generated in the country, according to the November Nuclear Energy Report. This report is based on the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration data, which shows nuclear generation by state from August 2023.

Which state generates the largest amount of energy from nuclear sources? The EIA’s most recent data shows that in August, it was Illinois, with 8,552 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 did not generate a significant amount of nuclear energy in August, so they will not be included in the findings below.

The following charts are based on Choose Energy’s analysis of the EIA data.

Across the country, electricity generation from nuclear power decreased by 0.2% from July to August. The U.S. produced a total of 69,744 thousand megawatt-hours of nuclear energy in August. Of the states with significant nuclear generation, 15 experienced a decrease in nuclear generation from month to month, and 12 experienced a decrease. Texas nuclear generation did not change from month to month.

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

Nationally, nuclear generation increased 1.2% from August 2022 to August 2023. 17 states experienced decreases within the year, while 10 experienced increased production. Nuclear generation in Missouri did not change.

Following are the states that increased the most in nuclear power generation compared to last year:

Generation decreased by the greatest percentage in New Hampshire, where production fell by 15.5% since 2022.

New Hampshire produced the highest percentage of electricity from nuclear. In August, 53.4% of the state’s electricity came from nuclear energy.

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