U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday (May 23) aimed at revitalizing America’s nuclear energy industry by streamlining approvals for new nuclear reactors and strengthening fuel supply chains, amid surging electricity demand driven by the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology—a trend he declared a national energy emergency on his first day in office.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has previously described the race to secure power sources for AI development and data centers as a “Manhattan Project 2.0.” The Trump administration has been discussing four proposed executive orders designed to accelerate nuclear energy by expanding executive branch approval authorities and reforming the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
The United States, the first nation to develop nuclear energy and still home to the world’s largest installed nuclear capacity, has seen its nuclear growth lag in recent years.
According to a draft summary of the executive order, Trump will invoke the Defense Production Act to declare a national emergency addressing U.S. reliance on overseas suppliers for enriched uranium, nuclear fuel processing, and critical materials for advanced reactors.
The draft also mandates federal agencies to approve and site new nuclear facilities, directing the Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DoD) to identify federal lands and sites for nuclear deployments while simplifying construction processes.
Additionally, it encourages the DOE to expedite reactor construction through loan guarantees and direct loans. During his first term, Trump’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) supported only one large nuclear plant in Georgia.
However, analysts note that while legislation passed under the Biden administration granted the LPO hundreds of billions in financing capacity, the office has faced severe staffing cuts since Trump’s second term began.
A source confirmed representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and Constellation—the utility operating the largest U.S. reactor fleet—were invited to Friday afternoon’s signing ceremony.
Wedbush Securities analysts stated: “Under the Trump administration, confidence in AI-driven data center construction is growing, with nuclear energy ultimately poised to play a pivotal role in powering these facilities.”
