Breaking: Trump orders seek to speed reactor construction on commercial, defense sites

Breaking: Trump orders seek to speed reactor construction on commercial, defense sites

As expected, President Donald Trump Friday signed a set of executive orders designed to speed licensing of nuclear power reactors, both commercially and on federal installations, limit review by an independent nuclear regulator and beef up  the industry’s U.S. industrial base.

Here is a thumbnail overview of each. (A companion article will look at reaction to the orders, for and against).

Overhauling the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC): The administration has the ambitious goal of increasing nuclear power capacity to 400 gigawatts from the current level 100 gigawatts by 2050. The order wants a deadline of no more than 18 months for a final decision on an application to construct and operate a new reactor “of any type.” A license extension application should take no more than a year, according to the order. “Reforming the NRC’s culture” is central to this task. A team of at least 20 officials will “draft the new regulations. The order will de-emphasize the current role of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).

Revising Department of Energy reactor testing: The Trump order sets up a pilot program outside the national laboratories for advanced reactors with a goal of three of them reaching criticality by July 4, 2026. It also calls for various studies to speed test reactor approval.

Deploying advanced reactors for national security: This Trump order is wide-ranging. For starters, the secretary of defense, through the U.S. Army, “shall commence the operation of a nuclear reactor, regulated by the United States Army, at a domestic military base or installation” by Sept. 30, 2028. It also encourages nuclear use at DOE installations, creates programs to bolster nuclear technology exports and support programs for high assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). It also limits environmental review and prioritizes issuance of clearances for “the rapid distribution and use of nuclear energy and fuel cycle technologies.”

Reinvigorating the nuclear industrial base: This Trump order calls for a major nuclear expansion study within 240 days. The study would, among other things, include looking at voluntary agreements on “the recycling and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, to ensure the continued reliable operation of the nation’s nuclear reactors.”

Unlike laws passed by Congress, executive orders can be modified or undone by future presidents.

This is a developing story.