Trump's push to speed up reactor approvals has a profound impact on the U.S. nuclear industry

The U.S. president Donald Trump directed on Friday the independent nuclear regulator of his country to ease rules and speed up approvals for new power plants and reactors. He aimed to reduce licensing timelines from several years to only 18 months.

The executive order was part of an ongoing series of executive orders aimed at boosting domestic nuclear energy production in response to the surge in demand for data centers and artificial intelligent.

According to the senior White House official, the orders are also intended to reinvigorate the U.S. uranium enrichment and production.

Here's a quick snapshot of the U.S. Nuclear Energy Landscape:

DOMESTIC PRODUCTION In 2024, the total uranium concentration production reached 676,939 lbs of U3O8, more than three times what it was in 2023.

Generating CApacity

The U.S. nuclear power production peaked in January 2025, at more than 71 million megawatt hours, almost 4% more than January last year.

Imports of nuclear fuel total

Owners and operators in the U.S. of civilian nuclear reactors are heavily dependent on uranium exports. In 2023, foreign sources will dominate deliveries, with Canada providing 27% and Australia and Kazakhstan each contributing 22%.

PROJECT STATUS

U.S. in-situ uranium recovery plants are permitted to produce a total of 41 million pounds U3O8 per year, with the leading production sites located in Wyoming and Texas.

(source: Reuters)