President Donald Trump’s Energy Secretary is making commercial nuclear power a priority for unleashing American energy abundance and innovation.
Chris Wright listed his priorities earlier this week upon taking over the Energy Department and one of them is significantly expanding commercial nuclear power in the U.S. as newer technologies take hold.
“The long-awaited American nuclear renaissance must launch during President Trump’s administration. As global energy demand continues to grow, America must lead the commercialization of affordable and abundant nuclear energy. As such, the Department will work diligently and creatively to enable the rapid deployment and export of next-generation nuclear technology,” reads an order Wright signed Wednesday.
The Department of Energy’s expansive R&D and loan portfolio makes it a crucial agency for fostering innovation in the energy sector. Wright said that the department’s R&D work will focus on “affordable, reliable, and secure energy technologies” such as oil and gas, advanced nuclear, geothermal, and hydropower.
In a letter to sent Thursday, American Nuclear Society CEO Craig Piercy suggested that Wright focus securing congressional appropriations to fulfill his promises about advancing the nuclear power industry and supporting innovative reactors.
“Many in the industry think additional government support will be needed to reach nth-of-a-kind nuclear plant construction costs, while others believe rising electricity demand alone will take care of that in time,” the letter reads.
“Either way, as secretary of energy, you will need appropriations to engineer any kind of nuclear ‘win.’ You will spend more time than you think preparing budgets, arguing with the Office of Management and Budget over what’s included, and then defending said budgets on Capitol Hill. Don’t let the bean counters steal from you!”
Wright is not alone in placing importance on developing nuclear energy over the next few years. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (R., Tenn.), spoke about the need for increasing American nuclear capacity in a statement Wednesday announcing the creation of a bipartisan energy dominance caucus.
“I am excited to announce the creation of the new American Energy Dominance Caucus that I will Co-Chair alongside Rep. Marc Veasey. Increasing the production of all forms of American-made energy, especially new nuclear energy, should never be a partisan issue,” Fleischmann said.
“To meet our growing electrical demands, America needs an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy policy that utilizes every form of American-made energy to create jobs, grow our economy, and secure our energy independence.”
Wright has spoken about the need to focus on generating energy abundance through various power sources and streamlining regulations to increase the speed at which the U.S. builds new energy projects. In accordance with President Trump’s executive orders on pursuing energy dominance, Wright has made permitting reform another priority of the Energy Department to expedite project approval and encourage private sector investment.
Trump made increasing U.S. energy production a top priority of his campaign and began following through on it with a series of day one executive orders. He declared energy abundance a national emergency and overturned the Biden administration’s onerous electric vehicle mandate. Moreover, Trump moved to expedite energy permitting and electricity transmission infrastructure projects, in addition to pausing offshore wind leases and encouraging drilling on federal lands.
Wright was confirmed Monday to be Trump’s Energy Secretary after previously serving as CEO of Liberty Energy, a natural gas company that specialized in fracking. He was also on the board of Oklo, a Silicon Valley-based nuclear power company developing small nuclear reactors. Alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Wright will play a central role in ensuring Trump’s promises of unprecedented U.S. energy production come to fruition.