WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Energy Chris Wright told a Senate panel Wednesday the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy fiscal 2027 budget request is pretty flat once the big picture is considered.
Wright talked about the request from the Donald Trump White House in a Wednesday Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development subcommittee hearing,
Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) took issue with DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy budget request of $1.53 billion. Coons said the fiscal 2027 budget request is around $250 million less than last year’s $1.78 billion budget.
Wright said nuclear energy spending was split into two separate categories, with one being in the baseload power budget. Under the $3.5 billion baseload power budget line, nuclear energy would be allocated $300 million.
According to DOE’s fiscal 2027 budget justification document, the $300 million will be used to support nuclear power plant uprates and nuclear supply chain equipment upgrades to bolster the energy grid.
“The nuclear budget we proposed is pretty much flat or up a hair year over year,” Wright told Coons.
This is similar to the DOE Office of Science budget request, which proposed a $1.2 billion budget cut. The separate artificial intelligence and quantum category, budgeted $1.2 billion, is part of the Office of Science budget, Wright added.