A briefing on Arkansas Nuclear One, the state new-build study, and what baseload nuclear actually does, and does not do, for hosted mining economics.
Info sheet · Updated August 20, 2026 · Reference, skim in 2 min · BlockOps Mining Team
This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Arkansas nuclear siting and legislation are actively moving. Verify anything time-sensitive against the Arkansas Joint Committee on Energy record before you rely on it.
Key Takeaways
1
Arkansas already runs on unusually strong nuclear baseload. Arkansas Nuclear One puts out roughly 1,800 MW near Russellville and covers about 56% of Entergy Arkansas customer demand. That is the reason to look here, not anything being built later.[1]
2
3
What matters to a contract signed today is the license renewal, not the new build. Current licenses run to 2034 and 2038, and Entergy is pursuing renewal plus uprates that keep that 1,800 MW on the grid.[6]
4
Hosted miners buy grid power, not reactor output. Anyone claiming a direct reactor feed for retail hosting is overstating it. What baseload actually buys you is rate stability and fewer cold-snap curtailment events.
See what you could earn hosting a miner at BlockOps Mining
Five owner-operated Arkansas sites. We send the MSA before any deposit.
At a Glance
What exists today
Arkansas Nuclear One: two reactors on Lake Dardanelle near Russellville, in Pope County, producing roughly 1,800 MW of 24/7 baseload.[1]
Who owns and runs it
Owned by Entergy Arkansas, operated by Entergy Nuclear. Online since 1974 and 1980.[1]
What is new
A study ordered by Act 707 of 2025 concluded new nuclear is feasible and advisable in Arkansas and named six candidate sites on August 7, 2026.[2]
How big would new units be
The study used 600 MW as the project floor, modeled as roughly two 300 MW small modular reactors.[2]
Earliest new capacity
Mid-2030s, and only on an accelerated timeline. Nothing new comes online this decade.[3]
Why miners should care
Baseload nuclear has no production cliff. It is the generation profile a 24/7 hashing load wants, and it stabilizes the grid rate you actually pay.
What Nuclear Baseload Does For Mining
What it gives you
✓Generation that runs at near-full output around the clock, in every season
✓Fuel costs that barely move, so your rate is not tracking a commodity market
✓A grid less exposed to the cold-snap gas spikes that force curtailment
✓Low carbon intensity, which increasingly matters to institutional counterparties
What it does not give you
✗A dedicated power purchase agreement. Hosted miners buy grid power
✗New capacity on a timeline that matters to a contract you sign in 2026
✗Immunity from curtailment, which is a grid-event question, not a fuel question
✗Any protection if your contract prices power at an undefined prevailing rate
Where BlockOps sits
Two of our five facilities, Russellville and Moreland, are in Pope County, the same county as Arkansas Nuclear One. That does not mean we buy reactor output directly. It means our sites sit on the part of the Entergy Arkansas grid where the state largest baseload asset is anchored, which is one reason a $0.08/kWh pass-through rate is durable here rather than promotional.How We Got Here
Dec 1974
Arkansas Nuclear One Unit 1 enters commercial operation near Russellville.[1]
Mar 1980
Unit 2 follows. Combined net output reaches roughly 1,800 MW, covering about 56% of Entergy Arkansas customer demand.[1]
2025
Act 707 directs a statewide study of whether new nuclear generation is feasible in Arkansas.[2]
Feb 2026
Excel Services Corporation delivers interim findings to the legislature.[4]
Aug 6 to 7, 2026
2034 and 2038
Mid-2030s
The earliest a new Arkansas reactor could be operating, if development moves on an accelerated schedule.[3]
The Six Candidate Sites
Sites the August 2026 feasibility study identified as workable for new nuclear generation.
Arkansas Nuclear One
WherePope County, near Russellville
Noted capacityExisting licensed nuclear site
Flint Creek
WhereBenton County, northwest Arkansas
Noted capacityExisting generating site
Central Arkansas
WhereSouth and southwest of Little Rock
Noted capacity768 to 929 MW
Camden area
WhereSouthwest Arkansas
Noted capacityAbout 1,000 MW
Phillips County
WhereNear Helena and West Helena
Noted capacityNot specified
Craighead and Mississippi counties
WhereNortheast Arkansas
Noted capacityNot specified
The study did not recommend a winner. It recommended that Arkansas start acquiring, characterizing and permitting sites now, so the state is positioned when reactor costs come down. Growth drivers it named were data centers, lithium production and steel manufacturing arriving as coal plants retire.[5]
What To Watch
1
The proposed Arkansas Nuclear Competitiveness Act.
It would define nuclear as clean energy, finally staff an Atomic Development Coordinator role created in state law in 1957 and never filled, and create a Nuclear Energy Development Fund for siting and workforce training.[5]
2
Entergy license renewal for Arkansas Nuclear One.
Renewal plus uprate equipment keeps 1,800 MW of baseload on the Arkansas grid past 2034 and 2038. This matters far more to your 2027 power bill than any new reactor does.[6]
3
Entergy Next Generation Arkansas buildout.
Roughly 2,600 MW of new generation and 1,600 MW repowered over five years, alongside a stated plan to recruit large industrial customers to spread fixed costs across a broader base.[6]
4
Your own contract power clause.
None of the above helps you if your agreement prices electricity at an undefined rate. Generation mix sets the floor. Your contract decides whether you actually get it.
Do not do this
Do not price a hosting decision today on capacity that does not exist yet. Arkansas has an unusually strong nuclear baseload right now. That is the reason to look here. A reactor that might be running in 2035 is not.Quick Answers
Does Arkansas Nuclear One power BlockOps facilities directly?
No. Like every hosted miner in the state, we buy grid power from Entergy Arkansas. Arkansas Nuclear One is the single largest baseload contributor to that grid, covering roughly 56% of Entergy Arkansas customer demand. Anyone claiming a direct reactor feed for retail hosting is overstating it.
Then why does the generation mix matter to me?
Because it sets the rate floor and the volatility around it. A grid anchored by nuclear and hydro does not repeat the cold-snap price spikes that hit gas-exposed regions, which is when miners get curtailed hardest. You feel the mix through your rate stability, not through a dedicated line.
Will new reactors lower my hosting rate?
Not on any timeline relevant to a contract you sign now. The earliest realistic in-service date is the mid-2030s, and that assumes an accelerated schedule, state legislation, and NRC approval. Treat new nuclear as a long-term reason to be in Arkansas, not a near-term price forecast.
Is Arkansas building a small modular reactor right now?
No. As of August 2026 the state is at the study-and-siting stage. A feasibility study ordered by Act 707 of 2025 found new nuclear advisable and named six candidate sites. No construction has been authorized and no vendor has been selected.
What happens when the current ANO licenses expire?
Entergy is pursuing renewal rather than retirement, plus equipment upgrades that increase output. Unit 1 current license runs to 2034 and Unit 2 to 2038. Renewal is the single most consequential Arkansas energy item for miners, because it keeps 1,800 MW of baseload on the grid.
Sources
[1]Arkansas Nuclear One: units, capacity, license dates and share of Entergy Arkansas demand · Wikipedia, citing NRC and Entergy filings
[2]Study finds new nuclear generation in Arkansas both technically feasible and advisable · American Public Power Association, August 8, 2026
[3]Feasibility study identifies six potential sites for future nuclear power plants in Arkansas · Deltaplex News, August 2026
[4]Arkansas Nuclear Feasibility Study: interim findings · Excel Services Corporation for the Arkansas General Assembly, February 2026
[5]New nuclear reactors feasible in Arkansas but government support needed, panel told · Arkansas Advocate, August 6, 2026
[6]Next Generation Arkansas: capacity plan, nuclear license renewal and rate positioning · Entergy Arkansas
Host where the baseload already exists
BlockOps owns and operates five Arkansas facilities, two of them in the same county as Arkansas Nuclear One. Power is passed through at cost, curtailment is capped in writing, and you keep title to your equipment. Tell us what you run and we will come back with current inventory, pricing, and a racking date.
See our inventoryOr schedule a call