Residents of Washington, D.C., are being given the opportunity to power their homes completely with nuclear energy in a first-ever utility program.
Utility provider Constellation Energy announced on Tuesday it is launching a pilot residential nuclear program in Washington before expanding it to additional markets next year.
The program is offering nuclear energy at an 11.99 cents per kilowatt hour rate, lower than the average utility supply rate for Washington, Constellation said. Not only will it save consumers money, the company said, but the carbon-free program will also “fight climate change.”
“Nuclear energy is the nation’s largest source of carbon-free electricity, providing nearly 20% of the total electricity supply in the United States and about half of its carbon-free energy,” Constellation said in a release. “It is a reliable, always-on power source, capable of operating around the clock to meet the nation’s energy needs with zero greenhouse gas emissions.”
Residents of the district interested in opting into the program can do so via Constellation Energy’s website. All they need to do is provide their address and utility bill account number. From there, consumers will continue to receive electricity through existing infrastructure. Constellation Energy will then match 100% of this electricity usage with emission-free energy certificates generated at its nuclear facilities within the PJM grid region.
Constellation Energy operates or has a stake in nuclear facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Illinois.
This allows consumers to opt into supporting their homes with nuclear energy without seeing any major changes to their energy deliveries. The program is a major signal of support for nuclear energy not only among technology and energy companies but among consumers as well.
Although it has long faced criticism over its costs, waste, and environmental impacts, nuclear energy has seen a revival of support throughout 2024. As artificial intelligence advancements, manufacturing, and electrification have driven energy demand up, many are now turning to nuclear as a carbon-free alternative to gas, solar, and wind.
The launch of the pilot program is one of many investments in nuclear energy from Constellation. In September, the utility announced plans to enter a purchase agreement with Microsoft to reopen the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.
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The company is looking to restart the plant’s Unit 1 reactor, which shut down in 2019. Microsoft has said it plans to purchase energy produced by the facility in a 20-year agreement to support its data centers and AI developments.
If approved to come back online, Three Mile Island is expected to restart in 2028 and extend operations until at least 2054. With its anticipated reopening, the facility is also set to be renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center.