The American president Donald Trump has, with a number of new decrees, ordered a significant increase in the construction of nuclear power plants in the United States. The Department of Energy is tasked with enabling the construction of ten conventional nuclear reactors by 2030.
The goal of what Trump calls the “nuclear renaissance” is to quadruple the amount of nuclear energy in the US by 2050. Additionally, the president wants new, smaller reactors of a new type that have never been built in the US before. Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, also wanted to expand nuclear energy and aimed for a tripling.
Nuclear power plants have the advantage that they do not emit CO2 during electricity production and can always operate. However, they are also controversial due to radioactive waste and concerns about serious accidents. Trump himself is also a strong proponent of fossil fuels and primarily wants nuclear energy to complement gas and oil.
In Trump’s plans, the government must also provide funding for restarting closed power plants. Additionally, the goal is to build at least one reactor for the American military, including for the energy supply to data centers for artificial intelligence applications.
At the same time, Trump is ordering a reorganization at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This also involves the removal of a lot of personnel, in line with all the cost savings that Trump’s advisory committee, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), wants to implement. There must also be fixed deadlines for approval procedures and an “overall review” of the regulations.