Trump's Nuclear Push: Four Executive Orders Target 400 GW by 2050
President Trump signed four executive orders on May 23, 2025 directing a quadrupling of U.S. nuclear capacity from 100 GW to 400 GW by 2050—a scale requiring 300 new reactors at an average construction rate of 12 per year through mid-century.
TL;DR
The Trump administration's nuclear executive orders establish the most aggressive expansion targets in U.S. history: 400 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050, pilot reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026, NRC regulatory approval timelines capped at 18 months, and $2.7 billion awarded to restore domestic uranium enrichment. The orders explicitly link nuclear expansion to AI data center power needs and designate AI facilities as critical defense infrastructure. While industry groups welcome regulatory streamlining, safety advocates question compressed timelines and proposed changes to radiation exposure standards.
The Four Executive Orders
President Trump signed four separate orders on May 23, 2025, each targeting a different aspect of nuclear deployment [1]:
| Executive Order | Focus Area |
|---|---|
| Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base | Supply chain and fuel cycle |
| Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at DOE | Pilot program outside national labs |
| Ordering the Reform of the NRC | Regulatory overhaul |
| Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies | National security applications |
The orders collectively establish the goal of "re-establishing the United States as the global leader in nuclear energy" [2].
Capacity Targets: The Scale of the Challenge
The administration targets 400 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050, a four-fold increase from approximately 100 GW today [3]. This reverses a four-decade trend of minimal nuclear capacity growth.
Historical Context
Between 1954 and 1978, the United States authorized construction of 133 civilian nuclear reactors at 81 power plants [4]. Since 1978, the NRC authorized only a fraction of that number, with only two reactors entering commercial operation [5].
| Period | New Reactors Authorized | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| 1954-1978 | 133 | 81 plants |
| 1978-2025 | ~10 | 2 operational |
| 2025-2050 Target | 300+ | 400 GW |
Construction Requirements
Adding 300 GW over 25 years requires construction of approximately 300 standard reactors averaging 12 new reactor starts per year [6]. If small modular reactors become the mainstream option, the number of units required increases two to three times [7].
Reactor Pilot Program: July 4, 2026 Deadline
The most aggressive timeline targets pilot reactor criticality by July 4, 2026—America's 250th birthday [8].
Program Structure
The executive order explicitly placed oversight of commercial test reactors with the Department of Energy rather than the NRC [9]. Secretary Chris Wright must "approve at least three reactors pursuant to this pilot program with the goal of achieving criticality in each of the three reactors by July 4, 2026" [10].
In August 2025, DOE announced 11 advanced reactor projects selected for the program [11]. Each company bears responsibility for all costs associated with designing, manufacturing, constructing, operating, and decommissioning their test reactors [12].
Company Progress
| Company | Project | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Aalo Atomics | Aalo-X (10 MWe sodium-cooled) | Broke ground at INL, August 2025 |
| Antares Nuclear | MARK-0 test reactor | DOE agreement executed, fuel fabrication began |
| Oklo | Aurora-INL | Broke ground September 2025 |
Secretary Wright acknowledged at the ANS Winter Conference that only one or two reactors might meet the July 4 deadline, with others close behind [13].
Regulatory Shift
Before the executive order, the Energy Department did not regulate commercial nuclear reactor safety—that responsibility belonged to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission established by Congress in 1975 [14]. The NRC now consults on the pilot program rather than licensing it [15].
NRC Reform: 18-Month Approval Timelines
The administration ordered comprehensive restructuring of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission [16].
Timeline Requirements
| Deadline | Requirement |
|---|---|
| February 23, 2026 (9 months) | NRC must issue proposed rulemakings |
| November 23, 2026 (18 months) | Final rules and guidance must be issued |
| Ongoing | 18-month deadline for new reactor construction and operation licenses |
| Ongoing | 12-month deadline for existing reactor license renewals |
The NRC must create a dedicated team of at least 20 officials to draft new regulations [17]. The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) personnel and functions face reduction to "the minimum necessary to fulfill its statutory obligations" [18].
Radiation Safety Standards
The executive order directs NRC to "reconsider reliance on the linear no-threshold (LNT) model for radiation exposure and the 'as low as reasonably achievable' standard" [19].
The LNT model maintains that radiation risk is proportional to dose—even tiny amounts cause increased cancer risk [20]. Scientists calculate radiation risks primarily from studies of 86,600 survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which showed cancer incidence rising linearly with dose [21].
An Idaho National Laboratory report recommends maintaining the current 5,000 mrem annual occupational dose limit without applying ALARA below that threshold, with "future consideration of increasing this limit to 10,000 mrem/year" [22].
AI Data Centers as Critical Infrastructure
The executive orders explicitly link nuclear expansion to AI data center power requirements [23].
Policy Directives
The orders designate AI data centers as critical defense facilities and task the Secretary of Energy with utilizing all available legal authorities to site, approve, and authorize advanced reactor deployment for AI facilities [24]. DOE must lay groundwork for an advanced reactor supporting AI or other critical infrastructure by October 2027 [25].
Federal Land Site Selection
On July 24, 2025, DOE announced four site selections for public-private AI and energy infrastructure projects [26]:
| Site | Location |
|---|---|
| Idaho National Laboratory | Idaho |
| Oak Ridge Reservation | Tennessee |
| Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant | Kentucky |
| Savannah River Site | South Carolina |
Energy Secretary Chris Wright characterized the initiative as "the next Manhattan Project—ensuring U.S. AI and energy leadership" [27].
Hyperscaler Nuclear Commitments
Tech companies have made significant nuclear investments to power AI infrastructure:
| Company | Nuclear Investment |
|---|---|
| Amazon | $20 billion on data center sites in Pennsylvania, including one alongside a nuclear plant |
| Meta | 6.6 GW nuclear deal with Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo |
| Microsoft | Power purchase from Three Mile Island restart |
| Contract with Kairos Power for SMRs by 2030 |
Fuel Supply Chain: $2.7 Billion Investment
The Department of Energy awarded $2.7 billion in January 2026 to strengthen domestic enrichment services over the next decade [28].
Current Dependence
Domestic fuel sources supply only about 5% of fuel used in U.S. reactors [29]. A 1977 federal policy prohibited reprocessing of used fuel for commercial reactors, leaving the country dependent on foreign uranium sources and enrichment services [30].
Contract Awards
| Company | Award | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| American Centrifuge Operating | $900 million | HALEU enrichment capacity |
| General Matter | $900 million | HALEU enrichment capacity |
| Orano Federal Services | $900 million | LEU enrichment expansion |
| Global Laser Enrichment | $28 million | Next-generation enrichment technology |
DOE also selected Oklo Inc., Terrestrial Energy Inc., TRISO-X LLC, and Valar Atomics Inc. for a pilot program to build advanced nuclear fuel lines [31].
Reprocessing Policy Shift
The executive orders instruct DOE to find methods for efficiently transferring spent nuclear fuel from commercial reactors to a government-owned, privately operated reprocessing and recycling facility [32]. The United States has not recycled or reprocessed commercial spent nuclear fuels since the 1970s [33].
Military Applications
Executive Order 14302 directs the Department of Defense through the Secretary of the Army to create a program of record for nuclear energy powering military installations [34].
Key Milestones
| Target Date | Requirement |
|---|---|
| September 30, 2028 | Deploy nuclear reactor at domestic military base |
| Ongoing | Create program of record for operational nuclear power |
The order explicitly highlights nuclear energy as a key enabler of U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and calls for co-locating advanced reactors and AI on DOE sites [35].
Industry Response and Concerns
Supporters
Industry groups welcomed regulatory streamlining. Adam Stein, director of the nuclear energy innovation program at the Breakthrough Institute, described the call to reconsider LNT and other safety standards as a positive step toward reforming NRC's "overly risk-averse culture, structure, and regulations" [36].
Critics
Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, characterized the pilot program as "an attempt to subvert the laws and regulations that go around commercial nuclear power" [37].
Heidy Khlaaf, chief AI scientist at the AI Now Institute, expressed concern about the July 4, 2026 deadline: "These manufactured timelines are actually incredibly concerning. There's no timeline for assessing a new design and making sure it's safe, especially something we haven't seen before" [38].
Stephen Bondy, a UC Irvine health researcher, stated that revising exposure rules "flies in the face of globally held radiation safety standards" [39].
Litigation Risk
During its last extensive review of LNT beginning in 2015, the NRC concluded in August 2021 that insufficient evidence existed to rescind the model's assumptions [40]. This recent review could present litigation risk to any renewed effort to change radiological protection regulations.
SMR Deployment Projections
The executive orders position small modular reactors as central to reaching 400 GW capacity [41].
Global Projections
| Scenario | Global SMR Capacity by 2050 |
|---|---|
| IEA current policies | 40 GW |
| IEA with tailored policy support | 120 GW |
| IEA with cost parity achieved | 190 GW |
| Most optimistic scenario | 375 GW |
Current Reality
Only two SMRs operate commercially worldwide: KLT-40S in Russia (since 2020) and HTR-PM in China (since 2023) [42]. Both projects experienced longer development timelines, higher costs, and lower initial capacity factors than expected [43].
In December 2025, DOE selected Tennessee Valley Authority and Holtec to receive grants of $400 million each to support early deployment of advanced light-water SMRs [44].
State-Level Implications
The National Governors Association published "NGA Nuclear Dispatch: Powering a New Era" on January 5, 2026, examining state considerations for nuclear expansion [45].
Governors face decisions on:
- Siting authority for new reactors
- Grid integration planning for intermittent and baseload sources
- Workforce development for nuclear construction and operations
- Emergency response planning requirements
- Spent fuel storage considerations
Conclusion
President Trump's four nuclear executive orders represent the most aggressive expansion attempt in U.S. history. The 400 GW target by 2050 requires construction rates not seen since the 1960s, regulatory timelines shorter than any previously achieved, and complete restructuring of the domestic fuel supply chain.
The July 4, 2026 pilot reactor deadline tests whether administrative pressure can compress timelines that historically stretched decades. Success would demonstrate that regulatory reform—not technology—limited U.S. nuclear deployment. Failure would validate critics' concerns that nuclear construction timelines reflect irreducible complexity rather than bureaucratic inefficiency.
For data center operators, the orders signal federal commitment to nuclear as the preferred power source for AI infrastructure. The designation of AI data centers as critical defense infrastructure and co-location with DOE sites suggests a symbiotic relationship between compute expansion and nuclear deployment that could define American energy-AI strategy for decades.
Citations
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