布拉德·普卢默和丽贝卡·F·埃利奥特 文章称，美国核能公司通过“功率提升”（power uprates）对老旧反应堆进行改造，以更快、更低成本地增加清洁电力供应，以应对人工智能推动的电力需求增长。
Brad Plumer and Rebecca F. Elliott The article says US nuclear firms are boosting old reactors through “power uprates” to add faster, cheaper clean power as AI drives electricity demand.
康斯泰勒公司、维斯特拉公司、亚马逊和谷歌正在资助这些升级项目，预计可新增6000至8000兆瓦容量，而监管机构正在审查安全问题，部分电厂可能需要更多维护。
Constellation, Vistra, Amazon and Google are funding upgrades that could add 6,000 to 8,000MW, while regulators review safety and some plants may need more maintenance.
专家表示，这一趋势只是短期应对措施，而非根本解决方案，因为核能的大规模增长仍需新建反应堆——而新建反应堆仍然成本高昂、建设缓慢且风险较大。
Experts say the trend is a short-term step, not a full solution, because major nuclear growth still needs new reactors, which remain costly, slow and risky to build.
AI生成 华盛顿 — — 建造一座核电站是一个漫长而艰巨的过程。因此，近年来，许多公司正在寻求一种更快、更便宜的解决方案：从建于几十年前的老旧反应堆中榨取更多电力。
AI generated WASHINGTON – Building a nuclear power plant is a long, hard slog. So lately, many companies are eyeing a faster, cheaper solution: Squeezing even more power out of old reactors that were built decades ago.
这一过程被称为“功率提升”（power uprate），即通过升级核电厂内部的关键部件——如控制系统、涡轮机或水泵——使其能够发电更多。
This process, known as a “power uprate”, involves upgrading key components inside nuclear plants such as controls, turbines or pumps so that they can generate more electricity.