Key Takeaways
- Private-Sector Driven: Eleven companies—funding their own projects without taxpayer bailouts—will develop advanced micro and modular reactors, showing Trump’s commitment to free-market solutions.
- Energy Independence on the Horizon: At least three reactors must go critical by July 4, 2026, symbolizing America’s renewed energy sovereignty and industrial strength.
- Powering the Future: These next-generation reactors will fuel high-demand sectors like data centers, chip manufacturing, defense, and healthcare—cementing U.S. leadership in both technology and energy.
President Donald Trump is once again betting on American innovation—and this time, it’s nuclear. On Tuesday, the Department of Energy finalized 11 projects under his Reactor Pilot Program, a sweeping initiative to fast-track microreactors and small modular reactors (SMRs). The goal? Power the industries fueling America’s next economic boom—from data centers and AI to microchips and defense.
Trump laid the groundwork back in May, signing four executive orders to accelerate construction. “Advanced reactors—including microreactors, small modular reactors, and Generation IV and Generation III+ reactors—have revolutionary potential,” the order stated. And he’s right. Unlike sprawling, traditional plants, SMRs are compact, factory-built, and scalable—energy freedom in a box.
The DOE is demanding results fast: at least three of the pilot reactors must go critical by July 4, 2026. That’s Independence Day—because what better symbol of energy independence? “President Trump’s Reactor Pilot Program is a call to action. These companies aim to all safely achieve criticality by Independence Day, and DOE will do everything we can to support their efforts,” Deputy Energy Secretary James Danly said.
Eleven companies, including Oklo, Radiant Energy, and Valar Atomics, have been tapped to design, build, and test these advanced reactors—entirely on their own dime. That means zero taxpayer bailouts and maximum private-sector competition.
While China and Russia already dabble in SMRs, America is about to lead the charge. Trump’s bet is clear: smaller, smarter nuclear power plants will keep America’s industries running, its borders secure, and its economy on top.
This is energy policy done the Trump way—pro-growth, pro-innovation, and unapologetically American.