Entergy, Holtec and Hyundai Assess SMR-300 Nuclear Projects Amid US Utility Load Surge

Holtec International, Entergy Services and Hyundai Engineering & Construction have signed a non‑binding Memorandum of Agreement to evaluate the deployment of Holtec’s SMR‑300 small modular reactor in the Gulf South. The partnership will study customer demand, candidate sites and commercial structures for potential dual‑unit projects that could deliver up to 680 MW of carbon‑free baseload power for large‑load customers such as industrial facilities, advanced manufacturing and AI‑driven data centers.

Separately, Southern Company reported that it has added 6 GW of large‑load contracts since early 2026, bringing its total contracted load to 17 GW. The new contracts include a 3.2‑GW, 25‑year agreement with OpenAI for a data‑center near Savannah, Georgia, and a 1 GW flexible demand‑response component for peak shaving. Southern’s utilities serve about 9 million people, and data‑center electricity usage rose roughly 50% year‑to‑date. The company expects to secure an additional 8 GW of projects in the near term.