According to NBC News, President Donald Trump signed a series of four (4) long-awaited executive
orders aiming to promote and accelerate nuclear energy development earlier today (Friday, May 23);
"The executive orders aim to reform nuclear energy research at the Department of Energy, clear a path to allow the Energy Department to build nuclear reactors on federally-owned land, overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and expand uranium mining and enrichment in the U.S, a senior administration official told reporters
ahead of the signing.
The official said that the executive order that will allow nuclear reactors to be built on federal land was aimed in part at helping address growing electricity demand due to AI technology, telling reporters that the order, "allows for safe and reliable nuclear energy to power and operate critical defense facilities and AI data centers.”
Trump’s executive orders also aim to speed up the review and regulatory processes for building and operating nuclear reactors, with the fourth executive order including a provision that requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make decisions on new nuclear reactor licenses within 18 months, the official said.
Trump described the nuclear energy industry as "hot," telling reporters, "It's a hot industry.
It's a brilliant industry. You have to do it right."
Read the full story from NBC News here.
For more information on how new nuclear development can be expanded and accelerated, ECA recently hosted the ECA Forum: Moving New Nuclear Projects Forward. The Forum only meeting designed to bring together DOE, federal, state, local and tribal governments
and policymakers with developers, utilities, regulators, industry, and academia to identify opportunities, challenges and to build the partnerships necessary to support nuclear development. To learn more, click here!
ECA
will continue to provide updates on the implications and impacts of these Executive Orders. Subscribe to the ECA Bulletin to make sure you receive key updates on new nuclear development and more.
