Nuclear energy has entered a period of unprecedented growth. In the United States and beyond, rising electricity demand—driven by electrification, data centers or advanced manufacturing—is increasing the need for reliable, always-on power.
Meeting that demand will require new nuclear generation. But the future of nuclear will be shaped not only by new-build projects, but also by how effectively we modernize and enhance the plants already operating today.
Advanced Extended Power Uprates (EPU+) bring these priorities together, combining integrated power increases with life-extension to help existing plants generate more dependable megawatts over the long term.
Power uprates are not a new concept—they have been part of the nuclear industry for decades, providing a proven pathway to increase generation from existing assets. Since the 1970s, nuclear operators have implemented more than 170 uprates, while the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved multi‑gigawatt increases across the U.S. fleet. These projects have effectively added the output of several large reactors without requiring new sites.
Over the years, the industry has expanded what is possible through successive generations of uprates, from Measurement Uncertainty Recapture (MUR) and Stretch Power Uprates (SPU) to Extended Power Uprates (EPU). Each step has built a stronger technical, operational and licensing foundation needed for larger gains.
But increasing the output has been only one part of the story.
For decades, long-term operation has also centered on preserving and extending the value of existing fleet. In the United States, license renewal has enabled plants to move from the original 40 to 60 years of operation, with Subsequent License Renewal (SLR) now providing a pathway toward 80 years.
Today, as electricity demand and decarbonization goals rise, the focus is expanding from keeping plants running to finding ways to increase their output.
Programs such as U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) UPRISE reflect this broader opportunity, recognizing the role that uprates and life-extension work can play in strengthening the existing nuclear fleet and adding firm generating capacity.
Building on deep experience in power uprates, Westinghouse has developed the next step in that evolution — Extended Power Uprates+, or EPU+: an integrated, next-generation approach to power uprating.
What Makes EPU+ Different
EPU+ is a coordinated, large-scale modernization program, not a routine equipment swap or paperwork change. It brings together plant owners, technology providers and regulators to significantly increase power output while maintaining the stringent safety and reliability standards that define nuclear operations.
Achieving a successful EPU+ requires the integration of:
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Advanced fuel and materials: Innovative fuel designs and accident-tolerant products that support higher power output, longer operating cycles and improved resistance to heat and wear.
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Modern analysis tools: Advanced modeling and simulation tools that provide a more accurate understanding of plant performance, helping identify opportunities to increase output while maintaining safety.
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Integrated systems upgrades: Upgrades to key, balance-of-plant, equipment, including turbines, generators, pumps and heat exchangers, often complemented by digital control and monitoring systems.
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Risk-informed licensing: Grounded in decades of operating experience and modern risk-informed, performance-based methods that can help make the licensing process more predictable while minimizing licensing risk.
These upgrades are not theoretical. They build on proven technologies and operating data. With roughly half of the global nuclear fleet based on Westinghouse designs, much of the relevant design knowledge and fleet experience already exists. The challenge is bringing it together into an integrated, repeatable program.
Reinvigorating Assets: The Business Case for EPU+
EPU+ can provide a meaningful increase in power output and revenue for existing nuclear plants, at a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), or cost of generating electricity over a plant's lifetime. This aspect proves highly competitive with alternative sources of generation, such as combined-cycle gas turbines.
On a cost-per-kilowatt basis, uprates can be a highly competitive way to add generation capacity. By leveraging existing sites, workforce and infrastructure, they increase output at grid-connected locations in the near term while supporting reliability as renewable generation grows. Uprates also help sustain the workforce and supply chain needed for future advanced large and small modular reactors (SMR).
The Westinghouse Advantage: Experience Where It Counts
Delivering EPU+ successfully requires more than technology. It also depends on deep, plant-specific expertise. Our experience with PWR-based plants gives us access to a powerful depth of design knowledge, operating insight and lessons learned.
Combined with a comprehensive portfolio, this expertise spans design authority, fuel innovation, integrated engineering, outage services and extensive licensing experience from uprates, fuel changes and life-extension work.
With capabilities covering both the Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) and Balance of Plant (BOP), Westinghouse can support a fully integrated approach to uprate engineering. And as the original designer of many NSSSs in operation today, we have accumulated decades of analytical expertise and lessons learned.
Our modern, AI-enabled tools are helping engineers put that knowledge to work in new ways, uncovering insights from years of historical uprate experience and supporting smarter, faster plant-specific solutions.
To date, Westinghouse has completed more than 100 plant uprates, establishing a strong track record across the global nuclear fleet.
Building on this experience, Westinghouse has completed an evaluation of the uprate capability of Westinghouse 3-loop and 4-loop plants. These studies provide the technical foundation for a new generation of uprate projects targeting unprecedented increases in output.
For a plant owner, success depends on working with a partner that understands both the broader reactor fleet and the unique details of a specific plant. That expertise helps ensure that power increases, engineering analyses and plant upgrades are tailored to the plant's design, operating history and licensing requirements, reducing project risk and supporting safe long-term operation.
A Strategic Bridge to the Future
EPU+ is a strategic bridge to the nuclear energy future.
It represents one of the most practical near-term opportunities to expand nuclear generation in the United States, delivering additional reliable, always-on capacity grounded in decades of operating experience and modern engineering.
For utilities and policymakers, the opportunity is clear: treat uprates as a core element of a broader nuclear growth strategy and unlock additional value from assets already delivering carbon-free electricity to the grid.
So, if you’re ready to add additional capacity from your existing plants, download the playbook Westinghouse nuclear experts developed just for you.
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