DOE Announces 11 Selections for New Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program

‘First mover’ technologies will benefit from relaxed permitting authorized by Trump in a May executive order.

Test engineer Jacob Wilcox pulls his arm out of a glove box used for processing sodium at TerraPower, a company developing and building small nuclear reactors in Everett, Wash., on Jan. 13, 2022. Elaine Thompson/AP Photo

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has identified 11 projects that will receive federal support in advancing “first mover” nuclear energy technologies under the Energy Reactor Pilot Program authorized by President Donald Trump in May.

“President Trump’s Reactor Pilot Program is a call to action,” DOE Deputy Secretary James Danly said in an Aug. 12 announcement. “These companies aim to all safely achieve ‘criticality’ by Independence Day [July 4, 2026], and DOE will do everything we can to support their efforts.”