The US Department of Energy reports that the nation's nuclear energy expansion is in full swing one year after a series of executive orders reset federal policy, with private investment and regulatory milestones arriving at a pace the industry has not seen in decades.
The orders set a goal of three test reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026, under a new DOE authorization pathway that runs parallel to traditional Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing. The department selected 11 projects to pilot reactor designs through the program, and three had secured a Final Documented Safety Analysis as of May 2026, the key technical clearance before fuel loading.
Milestones are stacking up across the commercial sector as well. TerraPower received its construction permit in March 2026, the first the NRC has ever issued for a commercial non-light-water power reactor, and broke ground on its Natrium plant in Wyoming the following month. Kairos Power broke ground on its Hermes 2 reactor in April 2026, the company's first commercial demonstration under its agreement to build an advanced reactor fleet for Google.
Nuclear power is projected to hold a consistent 18% share of US electricity generation in 2026, with the federal push aimed at expanding that base as demand from data centers and industrial electrification climbs.
Source: US Department of Energy - https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/one-year-after-executive-orders-us-nuclear-energy-renaissance-full-swing