Advertisement
X

Trump Signs Executive Orders To Boost Nuclear Power, Targets Fourfold Increase In 25 Years

The order allows the US energy secretary to permit advanced reactor designs and projects, a diversion from the independent safety agency which regulated the United States’ nuclear industry for 50 years.

President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order | representational image | AP Photo

United Nations President Donald Trump signed on Friday executive orders that are meant to quadruple domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years.

The order allows the US energy secretary to permit advanced nuclear reactor designs and projects, a diversion from the independent safety agency which regulated the United States’ nuclear industry for 50 years, AP reported. 

Experts say that it is unlikely that the United States will be able to quadruple the nuclear production in the specified timeframe, as there is a dearth of next-generation reactors that are operating commercially, and just two new large reactors were built, in Georgia, in the last 50 years.

Technological companies and venture capitalists, amongst others, are competing for electricity in the US. “We’ve got enough electricity to win the AI arms race with China,” AP quoted the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. “What we do in the next five years related to electricity is going to determine the next 50″ years in the industry.”

“It’s time for nuclear, and we’re going to do it very big,” Trump said while signing the order.

The Trump administration is focused on increasing nuclear power as “affordable, reliable, safe and secure power,” said Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as per AP.

The executive order aims to restructure the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to accelerate the review process for nuclear projects, setting an 18-month deadline for the agency to act on industry applications. It also establishes a pilot program to deploy three experimental reactors by July 4, 2026 and invokes the Defense Production Act to authorize emergency actions to secure the reactor fuel necessary for a revitalized America’s nuclear energy sector.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright on social media posted more secure energy sources - like geothermal, natural and nuclear gas.

Trump mentioned that reactors are safe and clean. However, he did not mention climate benefits.

Critics worry that the Trump administration's order can compromise safety and violate legal frameworks such as the Atomic Energy Act. Director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Edwin Lyman, told AP that compromising NRC’s independence could endanger important regulations.

Advertisement

“Simply put, the US nuclear industry will fail if safety is not made a priority,” he said. 

Other countries too are attempting to expedite licensing and make new-gen smaller nuclear reactors to meet the rising demand for electricity, as per AP.

Published At:
US