LaHood Joins U.S. Secretary of Energy Wright and EDF Director Beard to Announce $5 Billion Investment in Nuclear Fleets and Lower Costs for Families

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16) joined U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and DOE Energy Dominance Financing Director Gregory A. Beard at the Byron Clean Energy Center to announce a conditional loan commitment of up to $5 billion to finance nuclear uprates and modernization across Constellation Energy’s nuclear fleet in Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

"This $5 billion investment is critical to the future of American energy security and providing Americans with more affordable, reliable energy," said Rep. LaHood. "I commend President Trump, Secretary Wright, and Director Beard for recognizing the importance of investing in our existing nuclear fleet, especially here in Illinois, and their work to support American jobs and strengthen our electric grid. I remain committed to working closely with Secretary Wright, the Department of Energy, and the Trump Administration to strengthen energy reliability, support good-paying jobs, and lower costs for hardworking families."

“The Energy Department is accelerating President Trump’s American nuclear renaissance and unlocking the full potential of our nation’s nuclear fleet,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “Uprates that maximize power generation from our existing nuclear facilities are yet another example of the commonsense energy addition policies the Trump Administration is embracing—ensuring more affordable, reliable, and secure energy for American families and businesses.”

“EDF is delivering on President Trump and Secretary Wright’s commitment to unleash American nuclear power by financing projects that modernize and expand our nation’s existing nuclear plants,” said EDF Director Gregory A. Beard. “These investments will add more reliable baseload power to the grid, help lower electricity costs, strengthen our nation’s energy security, and fuel long-term American prosperity.”

Background:

This crucial investment represents a major milestone in the American Nuclear Renaissance by advancing President Trump’s Executive Order Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base and DOE’s Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort (UPRISE), expediting the expansion of America's nuclear capacity by maximizing power generation from existing reactors.

The projects will add enough electricity to power more than 930,000 homes—lowering costs and strengthening grid reliability in Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and across the PJM region. The investments will support more than 10,000 project-related jobs across Constellation’s nuclear fleet while delivering affordable, reliable power to American homes and businesses.

Constellation’s planned investments at Braidwood, Byron, Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle, and Quad Cities in Illinois; Calvert Cliffs in Maryland; and Limerick in Pennsylvania will produce more electricity from existing nuclear plants, maximizing America’s existing energy infrastructure while supporting growing demand for affordable, reliable, and secure power. EDF’s conditional loan commitment also includes an option to finance future uprate projects at additional Constellation facilities.

While this conditional commitment indicates DOE’s intent to provide a loan, Constellation must satisfy certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions before the Department enters into definitive financing documents and funds the loan.

Permalink: https://lahood.house.gov/2026/10/lahood-joins-u-s-secretary-of-energy-wright-and-edf-director-beard-to-announce-5-billion-investment-in-nuclear-fleets-and-lower-costs-for-families

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