The House and Senate’s combined National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of fiscal 2026 will authorize $160 million for the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy for funding projects related to energy security.
The House Wednesday voted 312 to 112 to pass the $900.6 billion NDAA package. The bill was scheduled to head to the Senate for consideration. Ahead of the House’s vote, the White House released a statement of support for the NDAA and noted President Donald Trump would sign the bill once it reaches his desk.
The Senate will have a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House Amendments to S. 1071, fiscal 2026 NDAA on Dec. 15.
The House-Senate Conference Committee collaborated to iron out the differences between the NDAA versions. The Conference Committee version came out Sunday.
The $160 million authorized for the Office of Nuclear Energy in the final version is equal to what was requested by the White House. The document also calls for sitewide safeguards and security funding at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory.
Nuclear energy garners much attention in the NDAA, including the establishment of an advanced nuclear transition working group. Led by the assistant secretary of defense for nuclear deterrence, chemical and biological defense policy and programs, the group would develop a strategy to accelerate growth of commercial advanced nuclear energy.
The working group would be set up by the secretary of defense no later than 180 days after the act becomes law.
In a separate section, Project Pele is authorized for $10 million under advanced innovative technologies. The advanced innovative technologies line as a whole is authorized $762 million, which is more than the White House request of $749 million.
Project Pele is a mobile gas-cooled demonstration microreactor with an output of 1.5 megawatts. The microreactor, developed by BWX Technologies, will be used by the Department of Defense Strategies Capabilities Office.
The microreactor is expected to produce electricity by 2028. Recently, the BWXT delivered its first full core of modern nuclear fuel for Project Pele microreactor at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory.
The final NDAA version also includes measures to encourage export of American civilian nuclear technology to U.S. allies.