United States President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders designed to significantly accelerate the country’s nuclear energy development. This initiative is aimed at addressing the rapidly increasing electricity demand, particularly driven by the proliferation of data centers and advancements in artificial intelligence technologies.
These new directives mandate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) — an independent regulatory body — to streamline its licensing procedures. The goal is to drastically shorten the approval timelines for new reactors and power plants from the current decade or more to a mere 18 months. During the signing ceremony held in the Oval Office, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who also chairs the White House Energy Dominance Council, stated, “This is going to turn the clock back on over 50 years of overregulation of an industry.”
The orders signify a notable shift in U.S. nuclear policy and emerge amidst increasing calls within the administration to prioritize domestic energy generation, especially on federal lands and military installations. Trump’s action also follows his January declaration of a national energy emergency, citing an inadequate electricity supply to meet the demands of the nation’s expanding AI infrastructure.
A senior White House official indicated that the Department of Defense is slated to play a central role in commissioning and installing reactors at military bases, reflecting a strategic move towards enhancing energy resilience within national security planning. The executive actions also include directives for the Departments of Energy and Defense to collaborate on nuclear plant construction, a comprehensive review of NRC staffing and oversight structures, and measures to revitalize domestic uranium production and enrichment—an area where the U.S. has significantly lagged in recent decades.
Industry leaders have expressed strong support for these announcements. Joseph Dominguez, CEO of Constellation Energy, a prominent U.S. nuclear operator, commented, “We’re wasting too much time on permitting, and we’re answering silly questions, not the important ones.”
Historically, nuclear licensing in the U.S. has been a protracted and burdensome process. This lengthy procedure has largely been shaped by past incidents such as the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown and the 1979 Three Mile Island accident. These events led to heightened regulatory scrutiny and increased public skepticism, with critics cautioning that relaxing safeguards could risk repeating past errors.
Among those voicing concerns was former Energy Secretary and nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz. He warned that undermining the NRC’s independence could result in the premature deployment of new reactor technologies without adequate safety assessments. Moniz stated, “A major event would, like those in the past, increase regulatory requirements and set back nuclear energy for a long time.”
The Trump administration’s initiative is also seen as an effort to stimulate interest in advanced reactor designs, particularly small modular reactors (SMRs). These are often promoted as being cheaper and quicker to construct than conventional nuclear plants. However, economic challenges persist. NuScale Power, the only U.S. company with an NRC-approved SMR design, abandoned its project in 2023 due due to significant cost overruns and intense competition from more affordable natural gas. Furthermore, the most recent reactor to become operational in the U.S. — Vogtle Unit 4 — exceeded its budget by $16 billion and faced several years of delays, highlighting the considerable financial risks associated with nuclear infrastructure development.
To address the private sector’s reluctance, the administration plans to broaden the mandate of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office to finance projects that conventional banks have been unwilling to support. Nevertheless, the office’s operational capacity has been weakened by staffing cuts enacted earlier under Trump’s own budget reductions.
While traditionally a strong proponent of fossil fuels, Trump’s recent embrace of nuclear energy reflects a broader bipartisan shift. Republicans generally favor nuclear power as a means of achieving energy independence and bolstering national security, while some Democrats view it as a climate-friendly alternative due to its zero greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this growing support, environmental groups remain cautious, consistently raising concerns over reactor safety, the management of radioactive waste, and the long-term viability of nuclear expansion in the face of cheaper renewable and natural gas alternatives.
