Walmart (WMT) on Solana

Walmart has signed its first direct nuclear power purchase agreement, securing approximately 176 megawatts of wholesale electricity from the Dresden Clean Energy Center in Illinois, operated by Constellation. Two separate 15-year contract periods beginning in 2029 and 2030 will supply power primarily to a planned high-tech perishable distribution center in Belvidere, Illinois, with 30 of the 176 megawatts coming from efficiency uprates at the existing facility rather than new construction.

The agreement is described as one of the earliest direct deals of its kind between a major U.S. retailer and a nuclear facility, with Dresden's operating licenses running through 2049 and 2051. By contracting uprates at an already-operational plant, Walmart advances its clean energy commitments while supporting regional grid reliability without waiting on new nuclear construction timelines.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon received total compensation of $29.1 million in 2025 — the highest among major U.S. grocery chain executives — comprising $25.1 million in salary and a $4.03 million cash bonus, plus 209,611 shares of Walmart stock. The figure arrives as LendingTree research shows 60% of Americans worried about paying for groceries in the past month, 49% find food currently difficult to afford, and grocery prices have climbed 32% since 2019 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The contrast between executive compensation and consumer strain has drawn renewed scrutiny. Walmart associates start at $14 per hour, while the Economic Policy Institute notes the broader CEO-to-worker pay ratio has expanded from 21-to-1 in 1965 to 380-to-1 by 2000. With 90% of survey respondents reporting they have changed shopping habits — switching to generics, cutting discretionary food purchases, and tracking prices more closely — Walmart's dual position as the largest U.S. grocer and a beneficiary of trade-down spending puts its leadership compensation in sharp public focus.