Clifford Chance
Reforming, Reinvigorating, Deploying: Nuclear Energy in the US
17 June 2025
Through a series of four Executive Orders signed on May 23, 2025 (the Executive Orders), the Trump Administration has announced a new set of efforts to reform regulations for the nuclear energy industry in order to ramp up the development of nuclear supply chains and reactor deployment (both restarts and new deployments of large reactors and small modular reactors) in the US. The Executive Orders reflect a broad approach to reinvigorating and "restarting" the US domestic nuclear energy industry, and have been met with enthusiasm in the US following earlier announcements that the Trump Administration would more actively support nuclear power project development.
On June 11, 2025, the World Bank also announced that it would end its decades-long ban on the financing of nuclear energy projects, in part due to advocacy by the Trump Administration and the new German government's policy change on nuclear. Despite the US enthusiasm around nuclear power, the reality is that a gap remains between the Administration's rhetoric and the long-term nature of investing in nuclear projects. The US nuclear industry is a long way from achieving the goals set forth in the Executive Orders in the near term, and the Trump Administration likely will need to take additional action to inspire confidence in the US' long-term commitment to nuclear energy and catalyze investment in US nuclear projects.
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