Nuclear Energy Generation by State

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Last updated May 2, 2023

Nuclear energy remains a major power source in the U.S. Nuclear power accounts for 19.6% of the total electricity generated in the country, according to the May Nuclear Energy Report. This report is based on the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration data, which shows nuclear generation by state from February 2023.

Which state generates the largest amount of energy from nuclear sources? The EIA says that in February, it was Illinois, with 7,321  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 Choose Energy’s analysis of the EIA data.

Across the country, electricity generation from nuclear power decreased by 14.2% from January to February. The U.S. produced a total of 60,807 thousand megawatt-hours of nuclear energy in February 2023. Of the states with significant nuclear generation, every state experienced a drop 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 February, and the percentage generation changed from month to month.

Nationally, nuclear generation decreased by 1.7% from Feburary 2022 to February 2023. 16 states experienced decreasese within the year, while 11 states experienced increased production. Missouri’s production did not change from year to year.

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

Generation decreased by the greatest percentage in Louisiana, where it fell by 34.4% since February 2022.

The answer can change each month. In February, New Hampshire topped the list, with 64.5% of the state’s electricity coming from nuclear energy.

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