United States President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at accelerating the country’s nuclear energy development, as his administration seeks to address rising electricity demand driven by data centres and artificial intelligence technologies.

The directives require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) — an independent body — to streamline its licensing process, shortening timelines for reactor and power plant approvals from a decade or more to just 18 months.

“This is going to turn the clock back on over 50 years of overregulation of an industry,” said US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who also heads the White House Energy Dominance Council, during the signing ceremony held at the Oval Office.

The orders mark a significant shift in US nuclear policy and come amid growing calls within the administration to prioritise domestic energy generation, particularly on federal lands and military installations. Trump’s move also follows his January declaration of a national energy emergency, citing insufficient electricity supply for the country’s expanding AI infrastructure.

A senior White House official said the Department of Defense will take a central role in commissioning reactors and installing them at military bases, reflecting a strategic pivot toward energy resilience in national security planning.

The executive actions include directives to the Departments of Energy and Defense to collaborate on nuclear plant construction, a review of NRC staffing and oversight structures, and steps to revive domestic uranium production and enrichment—an area in which the US has significantly lagged behind over recent decades.

Industry leaders welcomed the announcements. “We’re wasting too much time on permitting, and we’re answering silly questions, not the important ones,” said Joseph Dominguez, CEO of Constellation Energy, a leading US nuclear operator.

Nuclear licensing in the US has historically been a lengthy and cumbersome process, shaped largely by past disasters such as the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown and the 1979 Three Mile Island incident. These events led to heightened regulatory scrutiny and increased public scepticism, with critics warning that loosening safeguards could risk repeating past mistakes.

Among those raising concerns was former Energy Secretary and nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz, who said undermining the NRC’s independence could lead to the hasty deployment of new reactor technologies without adequate safety assessments.

“A major event would, like those in the past, increase regulatory requirements and set back nuclear energy for a long time,” Moniz said.

The Trump administration’s move is also seen as a push to stimulate interest in advanced reactor models, particularly small modular reactors (SMRs), which are touted as cheaper and quicker to build than conventional nuclear plants. However, economic challenges remain. NuScale Power, the only US company with an NRC-approved SMR design, abandoned its project in 2023 due to cost overruns and competition from cheaper natural gas.

Moreover, the most recent reactor to come online in the US — Vogtle Unit 4 — exceeded its budget by $16 billion and was delayed by several years, underscoring the financial risks associated with nuclear infrastructure development.

To address private-sector reluctance, the administration plans to expand the role of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office to finance projects that banks have declined to support. However, the office’s capacity has been weakened by staffing cuts enacted earlier under Trump’s own budget reductions.

While traditionally more supportive of fossil fuels, Trump’s recent embrace of nuclear energy reflects a broader bipartisan shift. Republicans favour nuclear as a means of energy independence and national security, while some Democrats see it as a climate-friendly alternative due to its zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Still, environmental groups remain cautious, pointing to persistent concerns over reactor safety, radioactive waste, and the long-term viability of nuclear expansion in the face of cheaper renewable and natural gas alternatives.