Trump signs orders to expand nuclear power production in US

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump signed a series of executive actions Friday intended to ramp up the US nuclear energy industry in what his senior officials are calling an effort to usher in “the American nuclear renaissance.”

"It's a hot industry. It's a brilliant industry … It's become very safe, and environmental, yes, 100%," Trump said as he signed the orders in the Oval Office.

The orders will accelerate testing of reactors at Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories, expedite applications and reviews for new nuclear energy facilities, create a new “regulatory path” for the Pentagon and DOE to build new reactors on federal lands, and require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make decisions on new nuclear reactor licenses within 18 months, a senior White House official told reporters.

A fourth executive order will mandate that the US expand mining and enriching uranium, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the orders ahead of their formal rollout.

Asked about concerns that accelerating licensing and expanding uranium production could pose safety and proliferation risks, Trump said: "We're going to get it very fast, and we're going to get it very safe."

"We're going to get the people in and out, and they're going to do plants," he said.

"We'll be second to none, because we're starting very strong, but it's time. It's time for nuclear, and we're going to do it very big."

The official, who briefed reporters ahead of the signings, said the decision to open up federal lands as sites for nuclear reactors "allows for safe and reliable nuclear energy to power and operate critical defense facilities and AI data centers."