TIMES THEY ARE-A-CHANGIN’ | POLICY & MARKETS
objective of leveraging existing grid connections to avoid years of construction time. On 23 May, 2025, President Trump signed four Executive
Orders (EOs) aimed at quadrupling US nuclear capacity to 400 GW by 2050 by accelerating licensing, reforming the NRC, and boosting fuel supply. The orders focus on speeding up reactor deployment, particularly for AI infrastructure, and
enhancing national security. ● Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (EO 14300): Directs the NRC to modernise its culture, streamline licensing, and reduce bureaucracy to accelerate approval of reactor designs, with a goal of evaluating new licenses within 18 months.
● Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy (EO 4301): Establishes a DOE test reactor pilot program to expedite the review, approval, and deployment of reactors at DOE and national lab sites.
● Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base (EO 14302): Focuses on strengthening the domestic nuclear fuel cycle, increasing uranium conversion / enrichment, and encouraging nuclear workforce development.
● Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security (EO 14299): Directs the US Department of Defense, to operate a reactor at a domestic military base, increases nuclear technology exports, and establishes the National Environmental Policy Act categorical exclusions for reactor construction on federal sites.
New nuclear drivers Reducing carbon emissions is a major driver behind the development of modern nuclear power technologies. Nuclear serves as a reliable, baseload, low-carbon energy source and will help meet “Net Zero” goals by providing 24/7 power and serving as an alternative to fossil fuels. The demand for energy required by artificial intelligence
data centers is another significant force behind development of new nuclear power technologies. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that global data centre electricity consumption will reach 620-1050 TWh by 2026, contributing to an estimated 290-490 million tonnes of carbon emissions globally. To support AI, over 4000 data centers are in operation today in the US, with nearly 3000 more planned or under construction. The heaviest concentrations are in Virginia, Texas, and California. Major hubs include Northern Virginia (known as Data Center Alley), Dallas, Silicon Valley, and emerging spots in Ohio, Arizona, and Oregon. A report prepared by the Union of Concerned Scientists
states that, “Without stronger clean energy policies, the additional fossil fuel generation used to power data centres results in an increase in annual US power plant emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) of 19 to 29% (229 to 342 million tonnes) by 2035”. And the environmental benefits of nuclear power? In 2026, the environmental impact of nuclear energy for data centres is increasingly quantified by the “carbon avoidance” it provides over natural gas given gas is the dominant alternative to provide reliable 24/7 power to the grid. The DOE summarises nuclear as the largest source of
clean power in the United States. It generates nearly 775 TWh of electricity each year and produces nearly half of the nation’s emissions-free electricity. This avoids more than 471 million tonnes of carbon each year, which is the equivalent of removing 100 million cars off the road.
Technologies and projects that are shaping the industry A surprise to many is that the US is the world’s largest producer of nuclear electricity. Domestically, nuclear electricity accounted for 19% of the country’s electricity generation in 2024. There are currently 54 commercially operating nuclear power plants with 94 nuclear power reactors in 28 states in the US. Illinois has 11 reactors, the most in any state. Of the 54 operating nuclear power plants, 19 have one reactor, 31 have two reactors, four have three reactors, and one has four reactors. In spite of the hurdles, a consortium of utility partners
succeeded in completing the newest nuclear reactor to enter service in the US. After 15 years of design, regulatory, and financial struggles, the Vogtle Unit 4 at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia began commercial operation in April 2024. Construction at the two new reactor sites began in 2009.
Originally expected to cost $14bn and begin commercial operation in 2016 (Vogtle 3) and in 2017 (Vogtle 4), the project ran into significant construction delays and cost overruns. Georgia Power now estimates the total cost of the project to be more than $30bn. Vogtle Units 3 and 4 are the first and only US deployments of the AP1000 Generation III+ reactor. The Alvin W. Vogtle plant is now the largest US nuclear power plant with four reactors. The R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in New York is the smallest nuclear facility with one reactor. The smallest individual reactors are the two units at the Prairie Island nuclear plant in Minnesota.
What’s happening now? TerraPower, a Bill Gates company aims to see nuclear power emerge in the middle of ‘coal country’ in the town of Kemmerer, Wyoming. In a project that’s been more than 15 years in the making TerraPower is designing and building a next-generation sodium-cooled fast reactor power plant called the Natrium plant. Commercial operations are potentially scheduled for as soon as 2030. The Natrium reactor is a 345 MW unit coupled with TerraPower’s molten salt energy storage system, providing built-in gigawatt-scale energy storage. According to TerraPower this makes the plant a perfect support for high-renewable penetration grids where variable power output is a concern. A $4bn project – $2 bn of which will ultimately come
from the US Department of Energy pursuant to its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), the Natrium plant will include a capability of ramping up to 500 MW for short periods of time. The reactor will use high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel.
www.neimagazine.com | April 2026 | 19
TerraPower has broken ground on its Natrium sodium- cooled fast reactor project in Wyoming. Source: ANS
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