Trump signs four nuclear energy executive orders, targeting 400 gigawatts by 2050 (May 23, 2025 )
May 23, 2025 — President Trump signed four executive orders aimed at dramatically accelerating U.S. nuclear energy development, setting goals that included quadrupling nuclear capacity to 400 gigawatts by 2050, ensuring 10 new large-scale reactors are under construction by 2030, and achieving criticality in at least three advanced demonstration reactors outside national laboratories by July 4, 2026. The orders directed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to undergo reorganization under DOGE, overhaul its licensing process to focus primarily on new reactor approvals, and reduce what the administration called unnecessary regulatory burdens on deployment.
The Department of Energy was directed to establish a Reactor Pilot Program selecting projects for accelerated testing and to add 5 gigawatts of capacity through uprates to existing reactors. The Department of Defense was instructed to build a nuclear reactor at a domestic military installation to power AI data centers and other critical infrastructure, with DOE designated to support that mission. A fourth order directed interagency work to improve the domestic nuclear fuel cycle, including the extraction and reuse of plutonium from spent fuel, and directed U.S. export finance agencies to promote American-designed reactor technologies globally.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright moved quickly on the agenda. The DOE announced an $800 million award in December 2025 to TVA and Holtec for small modular reactor deployment, closed a $1 billion loan to restart a Pennsylvania nuclear plant, and announced a $2.7 billion investment in January 2026 to strengthen domestic uranium enrichment. Nuclear safety experts raised concerns about the emphasis on speed over the careful safety culture that has historically governed reactor construction and testing.
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