# Nuclear: existing fleet PPAs & restarts

Part ID: 8.04 · Layer 8 (Power generation & energy supply)

Power purchase agreements with existing nuclear plant operators, including deals that fund restarts of previously shuttered reactors, to secure firm, carbon-free power for AI load.

This category covers commercial arrangements — not hardware — where a data center operator contracts directly with a utility or independent power producer for output from an existing nuclear plant, sometimes underwriting the restart of a reactor that had been retired. These deals sit upstream of the transmission and interconnection equipment in Layer 8.09 that physically delivers the power, and they compete with the broader pool of utility and IPP deals in Layer 8.07 for the same firm, carbon-free attributes. Existing nuclear capacity is fixed in the near term — no new large reactor has been added to most of these fleets in years — so demand from AI operators for this power is a claim on a scarce, non-expandable resource rather than a new supply chain. An investor should watch how many more restart candidates exist in a given fleet, since each one is a one-time, plant-specific event, and how regulators and other ratepayers respond to large single buyers securing capacity that was previously sold into the broader grid.

**AI delta:** AI operators are contracting directly for existing nuclear output, including funding restarts of retired reactors, to lock in firm carbon-free power without waiting for new generation.

## Companies

| Company | Role | Confidence | Ownership | Ticker | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEP | utility | inferred | public | AEP |  |
| Ameren | utility | inferred | public | AEE |  |
| Constellation | utility | inferred | public | CEG | Crane/TMI-1 restart |
| Dominion | utility | inferred | public | D |  |
| Duke Energy | utility | inferred | public | DUK |  |
| Entergy | utility | inferred | public | ETR |  |
| NextEra | utility | inferred | public | NEE | Duane Arnold restart |
| PSEG | utility | inferred | public | PEG |  |
| Southern Company | utility | inferred | public | SO |  |
| Talen | utility | inferred | public | TLN | Susquehanna–AWS |
| Vistra | utility | inferred | public | VST |  |
| Xcel | utility | inferred | public | XEL |  |
| Holtec/Palisades | utility | inferred | private |  |  |

Confidence tags: disclosed = company/filing statement; reported = trade press or partner list; inferred = taxonomy lead.