FitzPatrick begins Fall 2026 refueling outage

[Core Content]

FitzPatrick, Lycoming, New York.

FitzPatrick began a routine refueling outage on September 14, 2026, aligning exactly with its published schedule. The unit entered this maintenance period after completing 100 percent of its typical 729-day operating cycle and maintaining an unscheduled-outage-free streak of 720 days.

The scheduled duration for this refueling outage is 17 days, which is shorter than the unit's 28.3-day average across 13 prior refuels. FitzPatrick, an 853-MW General Electric BWR/4 operated by Constellation Nuclear, recorded a 99.7 percent capacity factor during its 2025 cycle. Across the U.S. fleet, 94 units are currently operating at a 92.4 percent capacity factor, with five units in refueling outages and one in an unscheduled outage.

LYCOMING, NY. Refueling activities began at FitzPatrick on Sep 14, 2026. The unit started on the published date (Sep 14, 2026) with a planned 17-day outage running through Oct 1, 2026.

Going into the refueling, the unit had run for about 24 months without an unscheduled outage. NukeWorker's start-date projection scores 100% accuracy for this unit.

Across the U.S. fleet of 94 commercial reactors, today's combined capacity factor is 92.4% (5 units currently refueling, 1 unit in an unscheduled outage), below the 92.8% baseline for this month over the past five years. Vogtle 2 and Browns Ferry 1 also began refueling outages within the past week. With the unit offline for refueling, that takes about 682,000 homes' worth of generation off the grid.

FitzPatrick is an 853-MW General Electric BWR/4 operated by Constellation Nuclear (commercial operation since 1975). The utility operates 20 other U.S. nuclear units. Its operating license runs through 2034 (renewed in 2008). The unit ran at a 99.7% capacity factor in 2025, among the unit's strongest cycles.

Heading to Lycoming, NY for outage work? Current per-diem averages $122/night lodging plus $80/day meals (total $202/day), and Unemployment Benefits are $504 weekly. See open nuclear jobs in New York on NukeWorker.

View FitzPatrick's ratings, history, projections, and current status on NukeWorker.

Want the full picture? Subscribe to the NukeWorker outage schedule for every current and upcoming U.S. nuclear outage.

Sources: NRC Daily Reactor Power Status reports, utility-published outage schedules, and NukeWorker's projections.