The Trump administration issued four executive orders on May 23, aimed at boosting domestic nuclear deployment ahead of significant growth in projected energy demand in the coming decades. These orders aim to reclaim leadership in nuclear technology crucial for national security and competitive AI advancements. Fulfilling these aims, however, will require a reversal of the speculation-driven deindustrialization of the United States economy over recent decades.
All four orders were posted to the White House website later on May 23: Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base; Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security; Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy.
• Increase U.S. nuclear energy capacity from 100 GW to 400 GW by 2050; the Dept. of Energy to focus on helping the industry add 5 GW of power to the existing plants, and “design 10 new large reactors to be under construction by 2030”;
• The Defense Department to “assess the feasibility of restarting or re-purposing closed nuclear power plants as energy hubs for military microgrid support, consistent with applicable law, focusing initially on installations with insufficient power resilience or grid fragility”;
• “Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education shall seek to increase participation in nuclear energy-related Registered Apprenticeships and Career and Technical Education programs”;
