Walmart signs first nuclear PPA with Constellation
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Walmart signed a long-term nuclear PPA with Constellation Energy announced June 23, securing up to 176 megawatts of electricity over two 15-year periods beginning in 2029 and 2030.
- Constellation's Dresden Clean Energy Center in Illinois will supply the power; the plant was relicensed in December to operate through 2049 and 2051, and the deal includes 30 MW of expanded generation capacity.
- The PPA powers Walmart's new perishable distribution center in Illinois, where the retailer operates approximately 175 stores and clubs with more than 55,000 associates.
- Walmart's emissions roadmap targets net-zero scope 1 and scope 2 emissions globally by 2040, with 48.5% of its global electricity needs already met by renewables in 2024, according to its FY2025 ESG report.
- Constellation signed a similar nuclear PPA with Meta last year to keep the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois operating for an additional 20 years, per the release.
- Corporate nuclear procurement reached roughly 5.1 gigawatts in 2025, more than double the 2.2 GW procured in 2024, according to a March Corporate Energy Buyers Association report.
Why it matters: This deal extends corporate-backed nuclear beyond the tech-AI corridor into retail, locking in long-term baseload power for a perishable distribution center rather than a data center. Combined with the prior Constellation-Meta deal at Illinois's Clinton plant, it positions Constellation as the anchor buyer for relicensed Midwest reactors running into the 2040s.
