Constellation Energy and Walmart have signed a long-term nuclear power purchase agreement for supply from Constellation's Dresden Clean Energy Center in Illinois, marking Walmart's first nuclear PPA and expanding the use of nuclear contracts beyond the technology sector. The agreement covers approximately 176 megawatts of wholesale supply, including 30 megawatts of additional generating capacity from planned uprates at the existing nuclear plant. Walmart will purchase electricity, environmental attributes, and capacity through two 15-year terms beginning in 2029 and 2030.

The deal responds to growing corporate demand for longer-duration contracts delivering reliable, carbon-free electricity as rising demand from data centers, advanced manufacturing, and automated logistics facilities tightens parts of the U.S. power market. Nuclear power has become the preferred option for companies requiring around-the-clock generation rather than intermittent renewable sources alone.

For Walmart, the agreement directly supports its expanding supply chain operations in Illinois. The new capacity from Dresden's uprates will supply Walmart's high-tech perishable distribution center currently under development in Belvidere, Illinois—part of a broader effort to modernize its grocery distribution network with automated facilities designed to move fresh and frozen goods more efficiently.

The deal also provides Constellation with a corporate customer to support further investment in Dresden, one of its two Illinois nuclear facilities located southwest of Chicago. The plant received a 20-year license renewal from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in December, permitting its two operating reactors to run through 2049 and 2051. The facility supports more than 1,100 jobs.

Jim McHugh, Constellation's chief commercial officer, said: "This agreement reflects long-term stewardship of critical infrastructure, the communities it serves, and the energy system that powers American growth." Walmart's energy chief Shayne Wahlmeier stated the agreement would support the retailer's Illinois operations while prioritizing "affordable, reliable, and clean energy" for the business and the communities it serves.

The Walmart agreement follows Constellation's 20-year deal with Meta for power from its Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, which helped support relicensing and additional output at that facility. While smaller in scale, the Walmart deal is notable for bringing a major U.S. retailer into a market previously led largely by technology and data center buyers. Constellation described the agreement as among the first of its kind between a major U.S. retailer and a nuclear power facility.

The deal highlights how nuclear uprates are becoming part of corporate clean-power strategy. Rather than building new reactors, uprates increase the output of existing nuclear units through efficiency and equipment upgrades, offering grid operators and large power users dependable generation without the extended permitting and construction timeline required for new facilities.

Walmart operates approximately 175 stores and clubs in Illinois, employing more than 55,000 associates. Constellation's generation footprint in the state produces enough electricity to power more than 8 million homes.

The agreement exemplifies how corporate power demand is reshaping the future of existing nuclear assets. After years of struggling to compete with cheap natural gas and renewables, nuclear plants increasingly benefit from long-term corporate contracts as major buyers seek to meet reliability and emissions goals.