The agreement is for about 176 MW of supply, including 30 MW of expanded generating capacity, at the two-unit Dresden Clean Energy Center. It is Walmart’s first nuclear power purchase agreement and will support the company’s planned large-scale high-tech perishable distribution centre in Belvidere, Illinois.
It follows the announcement in December that Constellation had been granted 20-year subsequent licences for Dresden’s two operating units – Dresden 2 (an 894 MWe BWR connected to the grid in April 1970) and unit 3 (an 879 MWe BWR grid connected in July 1971) – which enables them to operate for 80 years, to 2049 and 2051 respectively.
Jim McHugh, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Constellation, said: “This agreement reflects long‑term stewardship of critical infrastructure, the communities it serves, and the energy system that powers American growth. Walmart’s commitment enables meaningful investment in the Dresden Clean Energy Center – bolstering reliability, sustaining local jobs and economic activity, and putting more dependable, emissions-free energy onto the Illinois power grid.”
Shayne Wahlmeier, SVP Energy – Walmart US, said: “Walmart has a long history of investing in energy solutions that support our business and the communities where we operate, and this agreement builds on that work.
“Working with Constellation allows us to support new operations in Illinois while advancing our strategy in a way that prioritises affordable, reliable, and clean energy for our business and the communities we serve. We’re constantly evaluating new capabilities and energy solutions that help ensure the electricity we rely on is dependable, responsibly produced, and built to support long-term growth.”
Power purchase agreements – where an end user of the electricity generated effectively ‘buys’ some or all the future output of a plant – have been becoming more common with nuclear energy in the past two or three years, although the most headline-grabbing agreements have tended to involve tech giants and data centres, rather than large retailers such as Walmart, which has 10,900 stores in 19 countries, 280 million customers and 2026 revenue of USD713 billion.
