The Department of Energy has established a fast-track pilot allowing selected advanced reactor designs to achieve criticality at non-federal sites, with the first authorizations dated July 4, 2026. The program bypasses portions of the conventional Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing sequence for initial testing, shifting early demonstration work under DOE authorization instead.
Deployable Energy is conducting reactor physics testing during 2026 under the program, with full-power and transient testing targeted for July 4, 2027 and a maritime demonstration set for July 4, 2028. The staged schedule separates physics validation from operational testing, a structure the department has favored for first-of-a-kind designs.
The United States currently operates 94 reactors producing roughly 100 gigawatts of electricity. Nuclear generation is projected to hold an 18 percent share of national electricity output in 2026, matching the 2025 figure. Federal policy targets 400 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050, which would require a construction rate far above anything achieved since the 1970s.
Restart activity is adding capacity ahead of new construction. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the transfer of grid connection rights from Constellation's Eddystone plant in June 2026, and the NRC issued a draft environmental assessment covering the return to power operations.
The commission submitted a report to Congress in September 2025 outlining approaches to make licensing reviews more predictable for reactors sited at brownfield and retired fossil locations.
Source: American Nuclear Society - https://www.ans.org/news/2026-07-22/article-8237/developers-officials-talk-advanced-reactor-outlook-with-nrc/