Trump signs executive orders to soften regulations and extend nuclear energy production

President Donald Trump signed four decrees on Friday to soften the regulations and extend nuclear energy production.

Executive orders aim to reform nuclear energy research at the Ministry of Energy, to open a way to allow the Department of Energy to build nuclear reactors on land belonging to a federal government, to revise the nuclear regulatory commission and to extend the extraction and enrichment of uraniums in the United States

The CEOs of several nuclear energy companies – including Joseph Dominguez de Constellation Energy, Jacob Dewitte of Oklo and Scott Nolan de General Matter – stood alongside the president, the defense secretary Pete Hegseth and the interior secretary Doug Burgum while Trump signed the decrees.

In the remarks before the president signed the orders, Burgum said that they “go up more than fifty years of over-regulation of an industry”, adding later that “each of them helps to attack separate problems that have retained this industry”.

Meanwhile, Trump described the nuclear energy industry as “hot”, telling journalists “, it is a hot industry. It is a brilliant industry. You have to do it properly. “

A senior administration official who informed journalists before signing said that the decree that will allow nuclear reactors to be built on federal land was partially aimed at meeting the growing demand for electricity due to AI technology, indicating to journalists that order, “allows safe and reliable nuclear energy to energy and to exploit critical defense and data centers”.

Trump’s decrees also aim to accelerate the examination and regulatory processes for the construction and operation of nuclear reactors, the fourth executive decree, including a provision which obliges the nuclear regulatory commission to make decisions on the new nuclear reactor permits in the 18 months, said the official.

The new calendar reflected an objective of “reducing regulatory charges and shortening the calendar of licenses” for nuclear reactors, they added.

Dominguez, in remarks before Trump signed orders, praised the president’s decision to shorten the nuclear regulation process, saying that “the problem in the industry has historically been a regulatory delay”.

“We waste too much time on the license, and we answer silly questions, not the most important,” he added later.

Nuclear energy has been considered a means of helping to move away from fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions because nuclear energy generates electricity without burning charcoal, oil or natural gas.

Although the production of solar and wind energy has tripled in the United States over the past decade, there are concerns that available energy sources will not be able to respond to the huge demand for energy – especially in the coming years, because artificial intelligence systems explain huge amounts of global consumption.

In the remarks shortly before the president signed the decrees of the oval office, Hegseth responded to the need for more energy to feed AI, saying to journalists: “We include artificial intelligence in everything we do. If we do not do it, we are not fast enough.

A report published this month of the ICF International consulting company has estimated that the demand for electricity in the United States will increase 25% by 2030 (compared to 2023) and will jump 78% by 2050, largely due to the growing need for data centers to support AI technology.

Even with an accelerated regulatory process, it could take years to finish construction and increase nuclear infrastructure. Nuclear energy also presents considerable risks compared to other “green” energy sources. On the one hand, this requires long -term strategies to manage and eliminate hazardous waste. There is also the potential for accidents, such as a basic fusion or targeted attacks that could release radioactive contamination in the environment.

Trump also signed a fifth executive decree calling for the restoration of “the science of golden standards as an cornerstone of federal scientific research on Friday,” said the senior administration.

Michael Kratsios, head of the White House science and technology office, told journalists on Friday that decrees “will ensure continuous American strength and world leadership in science and technology”.