The US nuclear power industry appears to be dead in the water, with no new reactors scheduled for construction and no approved designs being used. However, the Trump administration has issued executive orders aimed at reviving the industry.
The plans include streamlining the reactor approval process and boosting experimental reactor construction by the Department of Energy. But critics argue that the language in the executive orders is inconsistent with other administration priorities and misunderstands the use of nuclear power.
Some experts point to the 1979 Three Mile Island partial meltdown as a turning point, which soured public sentiment towards nuclear power. The industry’s slow pace of development has been attributed to various factors, including safety regulations, delayed construction due to equipment availability, and supply chain issues.
The National Regulatory Commission (NRC) was established after the Fukushima disaster, and its oversight has led to more stringent safety standards. Critics claim that Trump officials plan to exploit a loophole in NRC regulations to build civilian power plants on military bases, exempting them from state and federal oversight.
Despite these plans, it remains uncertain whether the US nuclear industry will experience a revival.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/05/trump-signs-executive-orders-meant-to-resurrect-us-nuclear-power