Walmart inked its first nuclear power purchase agreement with Constellation Energy, covering about 176 MW of wholesale supply from latter’s Dresden Clean Energy Center in Illinois, including 30 MW of expanded generating capacity from planned uprates. The retail giant will buy energy, capacity and environmental attributes across two 15-year terms that begin in 2029 and 2030.
The agreement is small beside Constellation’s 55 GW generation fleet, roughly 0.32% of that capacity. But the buyer matters. Nuclear power’s corporate demand story has been dominated by cloud platforms and AI data centers. Walmart moves the conversation into retail infrastructure, where cold storage, distribution automation and around-the-clock operations can create demand for firm clean power even without a server farm attached.
The companies said the power will support Walmart’s previously announced high-tech perishable distribution center in Belvidere, Illinois. Reuters also reported that the agreement will supply nuclear power from Dresden to that facility, which is currently under development.
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For Walmart, the contract adds a long-duration clean-energy source at a time when the company’s own emissions path has become harder to square with its growth.
Walmart has targeted zero emissions across global operations by 2040 without relying on carbon offsets and has said it aims to power facilities with 100% renewable energy by 2035. But the company has also acknowledged it is likely to miss interim 2025 and 2030 operational emissions targets, citing energy policy, infrastructure and the availability of cost-effective low-carbon technologies.
For Constellation, the deal creates a corporate-backed reason to invest in more output from an existing plant instead of waiting for new nuclear construction. The companies said the agreement enables planned uprates at Dresden, meaning efficiency upgrades that raise output from existing nuclear units without building a new facility. The 30 MW of expanded generating capacity is the key number because it shows the agreement is not only a power allocation exercise but supports incremental supply on the grid.
Dresden is licensed to operate through 2049 and 2051, according to industry reporting. The plant also supports more than 1,100 jobs, according to the companies.
The strategic signal is stronger than the megawatt count. Constellation says it serves about 80% of the Fortune 100 and has 55 GW of generating capacity across nuclear, gas, geothermal, hydro, wind and solar. A Walmart nuclear contract gives the company a reference customer outside the tech sector, which could matter if more industrial, retail and logistics buyers decide that intermittent renewables alone do not match their operating needs.
The agreement also broadens the public narrative around nuclear procurement. Recent corporate nuclear attention has leaned heavily toward AI data centers, where electricity demand can scale aggressively and quickly. Walmart itself has reportedly begun limiting employee use of an AI tool after demand ran high.
