The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a novel pilot program that will allow private developers to build and operate full-scale advanced nuclear test reactors outside of the national laboratory system, without a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Through a new authorization model grounded in the Atomic Energy Act and a Trump-era executive order, the program seeks to bring at least three test reactors to criticality by July 4, 2026, using DOE-issued permits, private funding, and accelerated safety reviews.
The initiative, launched on June 18, marks a significant departure from established nuclear licensing precedent in decades. Rooted in Section 5 of President Trump’s Executive Order 14301 on “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy,” the regulatory pivot leverages the DOE’s authority under 42 U.S.C. § 2140 of the Atomic Energy Act, which exempts reactors built “under contract with and for the account of” the department from NRC licensing requirements. However, the program also extends DOE’s traditional purview beyond government-owned facilities to privately controlled sites—a jurisdictional expansion that industry experts and safety advocates are closely monitoring.
Read more in Power Magazine here.
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