Trump signs executive orders meant to resurrect US nuclear power
a year ago
- #nuclear power
- #US energy policy
- #Trump administration
- No nuclear power plants are currently scheduled for construction in the US.
- Only three new reactors have entered service since 1990.
- The Trump administration issued executive orders to revive the nuclear industry, including streamlining approvals and boosting experimental reactors.
- The US nuclear industry's peak was in the 1970s-80s, but public sentiment soured after the Three Mile Island incident.
- Only four new reactors started construction this century, with two canceled due to delays and costs.
- Delays often stem from idle workers waiting for equipment or site work completion, indicating supply chain issues.
- Safety regulations post-Fukushima addressed vulnerabilities in traditional designs.
- Military nuclear reactors are exempt from NRC oversight, a loophole Trump plans to exploit for civilian plants on military bases.