President Donald Trump on Friday signed a sweeping package of executive orders aimed at jump-starting the U.S. nuclear industry, overhauling federal regulations, and accelerating the deployment of both advanced and large-scale nuclear reactors across the country.
The actions, hailed by the White House as the most significant reforms in decades, triggered a sharp rally in nuclear-related stocks. Shares of advanced reactor firms Oklo and NuScale surged 27% and 18% respectively, uranium miner Cameco rose over 10%, and Constellation Energy (the country’s largest nuclear operator) climbed more than 2%.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump framed the move as the launch of an “American nuclear renaissance,” declaring that the United States would no longer be held back by “decades of overregulation and bureaucratic delay.”
“We’re restoring a strong American nuclear industrial base,” Trump said. “Over the last 30 years, we stopped building nuclear reactors in America — that ends now.”
Overhauling the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
At the core of the reform package is an executive order that forces the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to issue license decisions within 18 months — a process that has often taken five to ten years in the past. Trump’s orders also call for a top-down review of NRC staffing, regulatory philosophy, and its thresholds for acceptable radiation exposure.
Constellation Energy CEO Joe Dominguez, who stood alongside Trump at the signing, welcomed the move.
“The problem in the industry has historically been regulatory delay,” he said. “We’re wasting too much time on permitting, and we’re answering silly questions, not the important ones.”
The administration says the accelerated process is needed to meet rapidly rising electricity demand — particularly from AI data centres and defense installations, which require stable, high-output energy sources not tied to weather conditions.
Building on federal land and powering AI
Another executive order directs the Departments of Energy and Defense to construct reactors on federally owned land, positioning nuclear energy as a strategic tool for national security and AI infrastructure. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the plan “turns the clock back on over fifty years of overregulation” and supports Trump’s broader vision of energy dominance.
“Nuclear has the potential to be America’s greatest source of energy addition,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. “It works whether the wind is blowing, or the sun is shining, and it’s possible anywhere.”
Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, added that small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors would be deployed alongside defense and AI facilities to provide reliable, emissions-free energy at scale.
Reviving uranium mining and enrichment
The orders also aim to restart domestic uranium mining and expand enrichment capacity, which the administration views as critical to rebuilding a sovereign nuclear fuel supply chain.
Cameco Corp., one of the world’s largest uranium producers, surged more than 10% in response to the announcement, while other uranium and fuel cycle companies also gained.
“Gold Standard Science” order signed
In a fifth executive order, Trump declared a return to what he called “Gold Standard Science”, requiring federal research agencies to align with principles such as reproducibility, transparency, falsifiability, and independence from conflicts of interest. The order seeks to bolster public trust in science, particularly as it relates to energy, health, and technological policy.
“Gold Standard Science is just that — science that meets the gold standard,” said Kratsios. “With this executive order, we are recommitting ourselves to scientific best practices and empowering America’s researchers.”
Context and implications
The moves come amid renewed interest in nuclear energy as a zero-emissions power source capable of meeting growing demand, particularly in light of AI’s soaring computational requirements. A recent ICF International report forecasts a 25% increase in U.S. electricity demand by 2030 and a 78% increase by 2050.
Despite the optimism, nuclear deployment still faces formidable challenges: high capital costs, complex logistics, waste disposal issues, and safety concerns all remain unresolved at scale.
