Nuclear Energy Generation by State

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Last updated August 7, 2024

Nuclear energy remains a major power source in the U.S. Nuclear power accounts for 18.8% of the total electricity generated in the country, according to the August nuclear energy generation report. This report is based on the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration data, which shows nuclear generation by state from May 2024.

Which state generates the largest amount of energy from nuclear sources? The EIA’s most recent data shows that in May, it was Illinois, with 8,436 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 May, so they will not be included in the findings below.

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

Across the country, electricity generation from nuclear power increased by 13.3% from April to May. The U.S. produced a total of 64,973 thousand megawatt-hours of nuclear energy in May 2024. Of the states with significant nuclear generation, five experienced a decrease in nuclear generation from month to month, and 23 experienced an increase. Texas nuclear power generation increased 8.84% from April to May.

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

Nationally, nuclear generation increased 5.7% from May 2023 to May 2024. 11 states experienced decreases within the year, while 17 experienced increased nuclear power production. Nuclear energy generation in Connecticut increased by 79.1% year over year.

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

Generation decreased by the greatest percentage in California, where nuclear energy production fell by 38.23% compared to May 2023.

New Hampshire produced the highest percentage of electricity from nuclear. In May, 63.2% of the state’s electricity came from nuclear energy.

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