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In an overview of Trump's Executive Orders, signed on May 23, 2025, four EOs were introduced to spur a nuclear energy renaissance targeting a quadrupling of U.S. nuclear capacity from 100 GW to 400 GW by 2050, with a focus on advanced reactors like SMRs. Key provisions relevant to commercialization and data centers include the NRC Reform EO, which mandates the NRC to complete a wholesale revision of regulations within 18 months, setting fixed deadlines for new reactor licenses, such as combined license applications (COLs) and existing reactor operations. This reform is critical as it aims to address the NRC's overly risk-averse culture, which has only approved five new reactors since 1978 compared to 133 from 1952 to 1978. The Accelerated Reactor Testing EO reforms nuclear reactor testing at the Department of Energy (DOE), directing the DOE to approve qualified test reactors within two years, bypassing some NRC oversight. This directive aims to have three experimental reactors operational by July 4, 2026, designating AI data centers at DOE sites as critical defense facilities and prioritizing nuclear power for them.
In an overview of Trump's Executive Orders, signed on May 23, 2025, four EOs were introduced to spur a nuclear energy renaissance targeting a quadrupling of U.S. nuclear capacity from 100 GW to 400 GW by 2050, with a focus on advanced reactors like SMRs. Key provisions relevant to commercialization and data centers include the NRC Reform EO, which mandates the NRC to complete a wholesale revision of regulations within 18 months, setting fixed deadlines for new reactor licenses, such as combined license applications (COLs) and existing reactor operations. This reform is critical as it aims to address the NRC's overly risk-averse culture, which has only approved five new reactors since 1978 compared to 133 from 1952 to 1978. The Accelerated Reactor Testing EO reforms nuclear reactor testing at the Department of Energy (DOE), directing the DOE to approve qualified test reactors within two years, bypassing some NRC oversight. This directive aims to have three experimental reactors operational by July 4, 2026, designating AI data centers at DOE sites as critical defense facilities and prioritizing nuclear power for them.