POLICY & MARKETS | TIMES THEY ARE-A-CHANGIN’ are-a-changin’ Times they
Although nuclear power development in the US largely stalled after 1990 it remains a key source of clean energy for the nation with the world’s biggest nuclear fleet. New drivers are now emerging that look set to revive the sector with the gift of life.
By John L. Watson, Spencer Fane
SINCE 1920, NUCLEAR POWER generation in the US has evolved from experimental physics to a major component of the national energy grid. Significant technological breakthroughs and regulatory changes have triggered a modern resurgence. According to the US Energy Information Administration, nuclear power is projected to maintain a consistent 18% share of national electricity generation in 2026, similar to 2025 levels even while the overall consumption of electricity in the US has hit record highs. Nuclear power generation nonetheless is a major component of the low-carbon energy mix. However, nuclear energy expansion in the US dropped after 1990 due to high construction costs, long project timelines, and competition from cheap natural gas. Following the 1979 Three Mile Island accident, stricter regulations, public opposition, and slowing electricity demand led to widespread project cancellations and a halt in new orders for decades. In early 2026, the convergence of federal policy shifts
The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia is now the largest nuclear facility in the US. Source: Georgia Power
and massive private investment is rapidly accelerating the deployment of nuclear energy for industrial use. To meet the goal of significantly expanding US nuclear capacity, both the Biden and Trump administrations have implemented several landmark legislative and regulatory reforms. The Biden Administration’s ADVANCE Act (2024) was passed with bipartisan support. It requires the NRC to take a number of actions, particularly in the areas of licensing of new reactors and fuels, while maintaining the NRC’s core safety and security mission. The Act affects a wide range
of NRC activities, including by supporting the recruitment and retention of the NRC workforce, adding flexibility in the NRC’s budgeting process, enhancing the regulatory framework for advanced reactors and fusion technology, and requiring initiatives to support the NRC’s efficient, timely, and predictable reviews of license applications. In part, the statute will reduce regulatory fees for advanced reactor applicants starting in FY 2026 and will implement a “rewards” system to incentivise and develop new technology. As early as 2023, the NRC began development of a new,
technology-inclusive licensing framework. Unlike older rules, the new programme is performance-based, allowing engineers to prove safety through data rather than following rigid, decades-old design prescriptions. The US Department of Energy (DOE) also developed a fast-
track pilot programme whereby specific advanced reactors can achieve “criticality” at non-federal sites as early as 4 July, 2026, bypassing some traditional NRC licensing steps for initial testing. In September 2025, the NRC submitted a report to
Congress addressing matters specified in the Advance Act which requires the NRC to implement strategies or a rulemaking to “enable efficient, timely, and predictable licensing reviews for, and to support the oversight of, production and utilization facilities at brownfield and/ or retired fossil fuel sites.” New rules would be designed to simplify the environmental review process for building nuclear plants on retired coal or fossil-fuel sites, with the
18 | April 2026 |
www.neimagazine.com
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