US Nuclear Energy Industry Poised to Power Up, but Bottlenecks Loom
Experts told a House panel ‘first mover’ reactor projects need federal assurances as Democrats warned Trump administration moves undermine bipartisan support.
An architectural rendering of Fermi America’s proposed 5,770-acre data center complex near Amarillo, Texas, illustrates its plans for 18 million-square-feet of AI data center development fueled by “the largest nuclear power complex in America” supported by “the nation's biggest combined-cycle natural gas project, solar power, and battery storage.” Courtesy of Fermi America
Ten companies are developing “first mover” nuclear energy innovations in breakneck bids to achieve “criticality” by July 4, 2026, to secure federal funding in advancing their technologies under an Energy Reactor Pilot Program authorized by President Donald Trump.
“I doubt they will all make it,” Idaho National Laboratory Director John Wagner said. “But the thing that’s really exciting is that I do think three can make it, and the others will follow quickly thereafter.”
John Haughey
Reporter
John Haughey is an award-winning Epoch Times reporter who covers U.S. elections, U.S. Congress, energy, defense, and infrastructure.
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