Trump signs sweeping executive orders to supercharge US nuclear energy

President Donald Trump signed four executive orders aimed at reviving and expanding the US nuclear energy sector, accelerating reactor development, reforming regulatory frameworks, and boosting domestic uranium production. 

According to a senior White House official, the moves are designed to establish the United States as a global leader in nuclear power, Caliber.Az reports via American media.

“We’re signing tremendous executive orders today that really will make us the real power in this industry, which is a big industry,” Trump declared at the Oval Office signing ceremony, where he was joined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and nuclear industry executives.

The first order expedites reactor testing at the Department of Energy (DOE) national labs by streamlining the application process and enabling a pilot reactor construction program over the next two years. The second directive allows the DOE and the Department of Defence to build nuclear reactors on federal land, intended to power critical defence infrastructure and AI data centres.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasised the national security angle, saying, “By having small modular nuclear capabilities... we’re creating an environment where, if things happen elsewhere, the military can be reliable.”

The White House Office of Science and Technology added that the planned reactors would be “small and advanced.”

The third order requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to process nuclear reactor license applications within 18 months. A fourth executive order targets revitalising the US nuclear industrial base, enabling uranium mining, enrichment, and expanded conversion capacity.

Currently, the US lacks sufficient enrichment infrastructure. Until 2023, most enriched uranium came from Russia, but a bipartisan law passed after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine ended that dependency. The administration now aims to dramatically scale up domestic production.

In a written statement, Trump’s administration outlined plans to increase nuclear capacity from about 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050. It also pledged support for new technologies, including Generation III+ and IV reactors, modular reactors, and microreactors, by cutting regulatory and cost barriers.

Though the NRC will not see leadership changes for now, the executive orders mandate a major internal overhaul. According to the order text, the NRC’s current staffing and structure “are misaligned” with its legislative mandate, and the body is criticised for being overly risk-averse at significant economic and strategic cost.

The NRC is instructed to consult the Department of Government Efficiency to reorganise and expedite reactor licensing and adopt “science-based radiation limits.” The order also calls for workforce reductions, though some divisions, particularly those handling new licenses, may expand.

Interior Secretary Burgum denounced what he called “overregulation” and praised Trump’s commitment to “energy dominance,” adding that nuclear innovation is essential to America “winning the AI arms race with China.”

“What we do in the next five years related to electricity is going to determine the next 50,” Burgum said.

Despite proposing over $400 million in cuts to the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, the Trump administration insists these executive orders represent a major step toward restoring what it calls “gold-standard science” in US energy policy.

Asked about the timeline, the White House said it aims to begin testing and deploying new reactors before the end of Trump’s current term.

By Tamilla Hasanova