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Separate announcements from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) indicate their streamlining the pathway to deployment of advanced reactor technologies.
The announcements come weeks after President Donald Trump’s plethora of Executive Orders aimed at boosting U.S. nuclear power. Among other things, those Orders required bodies including the DoE to expedite the review, approval, and deployment of advanced reactors, and ordered reforms to the U.S. NRC with regulatory evaluation and approval of license applications for new reactors to be completed within eighteen months of starting the regulatory process.
The DoE has now launched a pilot program to accelerate the testing of advanced nuclear reactor designs under DoE authority outside of the national laboratories. This includes the establishment of a pilot program for the construction and operation of such reactors, with the goal of three reactors reaching criticality by the 4th of July 2026, was part of the Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy executive order. It has announced a Request for Application (RFA) as it seeks “qualified US reactor companies” interested in constructing and operating test reactors outside National Laboratory sites, which it says is “an important step toward streamlining nuclear reactor testing” and ensuring the 2026 deadline is met.
The pilot program will build on current efforts to demonstrate advanced reactors on DoE sites through microreactor testbeds and other projects led by the Department of Defense and private industry, according to the DoE. The program is intended to support research and development of nuclear reactors and will not be used demonstrate reactors for commercial suitability. It notes that “Seeking DOE authorization provided under the Atomic Energy Act will help unlock private funding and provide a fast-tracked approach to enable future commercial licensing activities for potential applicants.”.
The DoE said that it will consider advanced reactors that have a “reasonable chance” of going into operation by July of 2026. Applicants will be responsible for all expenses associated with designing, manufacturing, constructing, operating, and decommissioning each test reactor. The winning applicant will be competitively selected based on a set of criteria, including technological readiness, site evaluations, financial viability, and a detailed plan to achieving criticality.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, “For too long, the federal government has stymied the development and deployment of advanced civil nuclear reactors in the United States. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are expediting the development of next-generation nuclear technologies and giving American innovators a new path forward to advance their designs, propelling our economic prosperity and bolstering our national security.”. The deadline for initial applications is 21 July.
The NRC announced that it has reached decisions on three policy matters that it says will help enable the deployment of microreactors. These are reactors generate “about one per cent or less” of the output of a current large-scale reactor. This would amount to one megawatt or less. They would be built, loaded with fuel, and tested at factories before being shipped to operating sites.
Please read Part 2 next