US President Donald Trump is seeking to usher in a nuclear renaissance in the United States. He has signed executive orders to boost the non-emissions energy technology.

Trump had previously announced that there is an “energy emergency” in the US and is boosting fossil fuels and reining in what he describes as unreliable renewables such as wind and solar.

He issued four executive directives targeting the advancement of next-generation nuclear power technologies. According to analysis from the Atlantic Council, these directives reflect a decade-long continuity in nuclear policy while also introducing notable changes. Among the more significant departures are provisions to promote commercial nuclear fuel recycling and to reduce the autonomy of the US government’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The most wide-ranging of the new orders, entitled Deploying Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security, calls for a fast-tracked rollout of advanced reactors at military installations. The Atlantic Council notes that this directive lays out a deadline – September 30, 2028 – for at least one such reactor to become operational on a domestic military base. Additionally, the Department of Energy (DOE) is instructed to identify certain AI-focused data centres, if they are co-located with DOE facilities, as critical defence assets.

Another key shift involves a push toward reprocessing nuclear waste materials. The executive order instructs the energy secretary to determine which DOE-owned uranium and plutonium stocks can be repurposed for reactor fuel. As the Atlantic Council points out, the US currently lacks commercial recycling facilities for nuclear fuel. This move signals a pivot in federal policy that could help domestic reactor developers stay competitive globally, says the Council.

Moreover, the directive includes a plan to supply “high assay low-enriched uranium” (HALEU) to authorised commercial reactors, an effort expected to stimulate domestic demand and help stabilise the fuel supply chain. The Atlantic Council emphasises that this represents an effort to align DOE facilities more closely with private-sector nuclear projects.

In a controversial step, the order exempts both the Defence and Energy Departments from certain environmental reviews, including requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), when building reactors at specified federal sites. The Atlantic Council observes that while similar NEPA exclusions exist in other areas – like geothermal exploration – none currently apply to nuclear energy development.

Regulatory changes

The second directive, Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, calls for a streamlined licensing process for reactors and sets an 18-month deadline for decisions on applications for construction and operation. Despite these ambitious targets, the order also mandates a downsizing of the NRC workforce, a contradiction that the Atlantic Council highlights as potentially problematic: “It is difficult to see how an understaffed agency will be able to complete more work in less time.”

Although the order doesn’t overtly assert direct White House control over the NRC, it does task the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with overseeing internal reorganisation. The Atlantic Council warns that this, combined with an earlier February 2025 directive on agency accountability, could erode the NRC’s independence and diminish its stature among global nuclear regulators.

Reactor testing

The third order, Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy, instructs the US national laboratories to improve testing frameworks for reactor developers. However, the document stops short of mandating new test facilities. The Atlantic Council references the 2017 Nuclear Energy Innovation and Capabilities Act, which launched the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) project – later defunded by Congress – as a historical parallel. While this new directive does not revive that project directly, its emphasis on expanding testing capabilities may prompt renewed legislative interest.

The final directive, Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base, reiterates familiar themes such as skilled labour development and expanding reactor construction. It also calls for a report to reassess the nuclear fuel cycle – specifically waste management, isotope production, and enrichment. This echoes the 2020 “Strategy to Restore American Nuclear Energy Leadership” and updates policy alignment with the 2023 Nuclear Fuel Security Act.

The Atlantic Council concludes that, while much of the substance in these orders remains consistent with that of prior administrations, the significant new element is a push to reduce both federal personnel and regulatory independence. Though the orders lay out lofty ambitions for the future of nuclear technology in the US, the Atlantic Council cautions that diminishing the resources and credibility of key regulatory bodies like the NRC could undermine those goals.

Uranium

Reuters reports that analysts says that the US uranium sector could be poised for a turnaround following Trump’s executive actions. aimed at strengthening the domestic nuclear industry.

Prices for the radioactive metal have struggled in recent months, declining roughly 30% since their peak in early 2023. Market jitters over a potential economic slowdown and global instability had led institutional investors to retreat, said the news service. The spot price dipped to just above $64 per pound ($141 per kilogram) earlier this year, down from highs of $82 per lb ($181 per kg) amid concerns about future supply and rising demand for low-carbon energy, said Reuters.

Despite its promise, the nuclear sector has long been hampered by soaring costs and long project timelines. The most recent reactor to come online in the US, Vogtle Unit 3 in Georgia in 2023, ran billions of dollars over budget and took years longer than expected to complete.

Prices discourage investment

Curtis Moore of Energy Fuels told Reuters that the current downturn in uranium prices has discouraged investment in new US-based projects – a view shared by others in the industry. Shares in uranium producers such as Energy Fuels, Uranium Energy Corp. and Encore Energy had tumbled this year but saw a sharp rally on May 23, when Trump announced his executive orders, rising as much as 23% in response to the White House’s announcement.

Nick Amicucci from Evercore ISI said to the news service that the orders should help unlock previously allocated federal funds, potentially catalysing private sector interest. Analysts now believe uranium prices could need to exceed $100 per pound ($220 per kg) to support new supply development.

SMRs

Even before the recent excitement around AI and next-generation nuclear technologies like small modular reactors (SMRs), many in the industry believed uranium’s long-term prospects were solid. Spot prices currently sit around $70 per pound ($154 per kg), with longer-term contracts nearing $80 ($176 per kg), said Reuters.

Marco Mencini of Plenisfer Investments told the news service that the executive actions could help restore confidence in the contracting market, which has seen activity drop 40% so far in 2024. US utilities are reportedly sitting on less than two years’ worth of uranium reserves.

Reuters quotes industry insiders as saying that the new directives are expected to fast-track reactor licensing and encourage life extensions for existing plants. The broader aim, some say, resembles a national security effort.

"We’re producing a fraction of what we use,” said Justus Parmar of Fortuna Investments told Reuters. "Nuclear is no longer just an option – it's a necessity." And NexGen Energy’s Travis McPherson likened the scramble for uranium supply to a game of musical chairs: “There won’t be enough to go around,” he warned.