What is the cost per kWh of electricity from nuclear power plants?
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Electric Power Annual, average operating expenses for nuclear plants at major U.S. investor-owned utilities came to 23.08 mills per kilowatthour in 2024, or about 2.3 cents per kWh. That figure combines operation (9.87 mills), maintenance (6.84 mills), and fuel (6.37 mills) expenses, weighted by net generation. It covers operating expenses only, not the capital cost of building plants.
A workable answer to this question exists, but it comes with a boundary you need to respect. The U.S. Energy Information Administration's Electric Power Annual publishes average power plant operating expenses in Table 8.4, expressed in mills per kilowatthour. A mill is one thousandth of a dollar, so the figures convert directly to cents. For 2024, the most recent year with final data, nuclear plants at major U.S. investor-owned utilities averaged 23.08 mills per kWh in total operating expenses: 9.87 mills for operation, 6.84 for maintenance, and 6.37 for fuel. That is roughly 2.3 cents per kilowatthour.
[2]The trend over the past decade is also visible in the same table. Nuclear fuel expenses have stayed in a narrow band, from a high of 7.71 mills per kWh in 2014 down to 6.12 in 2022 and 2023, then 6.37 in 2024. Total nuclear operating expenses have drifted down from 26.79 mills in 2014 to 23.08 mills in 2024. The numbers are averages weighted by net generation, and EIA notes that totals may not equal the sum of components because of rounding.
[2]What this figure does not include
This is the mistake to avoid: treating 23.08 mills as the full cost of nuclear electricity. The table covers operating expenses for major investor-owned electric utilities, which means the large capital cost of constructing a plant, financing charges, and depreciation sit outside it. Comparing this figure against a levelized cost estimate that folds in capital recovery would be misleading, because the two numbers are defined differently. Any cost-per-kWh figure you encounter should be checked against its own definition before it is compared with another.
[2]Why capacity and generation matter to cost
Cost per kWh depends on actual output, not on what a plant could theoretically produce. Electric generation capacity is the maximum electric output a generator can produce under specific conditions, while electricity generation is the amount actually produced during a period. EIA measures how fully a generator runs using the capacity factor, the ratio of actual output to maximum possible output, published in Tables 6.07.A and 6.07.B of the Electric Power Monthly. Nuclear plants run close to their maximum: the annual capacity factor was 91.0 percent in 2025, among the highest of any generation type. A plant that runs near full output spreads its fixed operating costs over more kilowatthours, which is one reason the same plant can show different costs in different years.
[3][1]The context around the number
Nuclear energy accounted for about 18 percent of U.S. utility-scale electricity generation in 2025, making it the second-highest source, and nuclear plants produce electricity by driving steam turbines with heat from nuclear fission. Total U.S. utility-scale generation that year was about 4.43 trillion kilowatthours.
[4]How to verify and extend this figure
- Check the data year: values for 2024 and prior years are final in the Electric Power Monthly, while 2025 and 2026 values are preliminary.
- Confirm the scope: Table 8.4 covers major U.S. investor-owned electric utilities, not every plant in the country.
- Identify the cost basis before comparing: operating expenses only, versus a levelized figure that includes capital recovery.
- EIA's electricity FAQs include a question on how much it costs to generate electricity with different types of power plants, which is a good cross-check for figures on other generation types.
The practical takeaway: for operating cost, cite EIA's 23.08 mills per kWh for 2024 with its scope stated plainly. For anything broader, such as total plant cost including construction, look for a figure that explicitly includes capital before quoting it.
[2]Sources and dates
- https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_6_07_b · accessed 2026-10-18
- https://www.eia.gov/electricity/Annual/table.php?t=epa_08_04.html · accessed 2026-10-18
- https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=101&t=3 · accessed 2026-10-18
- https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php · accessed 2026-10-18