Although President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, 2025, President Joe Biden has left a nuclear energy roadmap for the incoming administration. Whether this plan will remain intact or be altered as the two administrations navigate nuclear policy remains to be seen.
Biden’s nuclear roadmap. On Nov. 12, the Biden administration published a roadmap aiming to triple the nation’s nuclear capacity by 2050. This initiative follows an agreement signed at last year’s COP28 climate summit.
The action plan includes adding 200 gigawatts of nuclear power through new reactors, reactivating plants, and modernizing current facilities. It also targets achieving an operational capacity of 35 gigawatts within the next decade.
Will Trump back Biden’s nuclear goals? During his first term, Trump supported policies promoting nuclear energy. He signed legislation like the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, though he also reduced the Department of Energy’s nuclear budget.
Current projections suggest the 47th president will continue supporting nuclear energy. At rallies, Trump announced plans to power factories and data centers with nuclear energy. However, he also expressed reservations in October, noting that nuclear projects are “getting too big, too complex and too expensive,” which has created uncertainty in the nuclear industry.
Despite these statements, bipartisan support emerged with the passage of the Advance Act in July 2024. The act provides the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission with new tools for regulating advanced reactors, strengthening the supply chain, and deploying emerging nuclear technologies.
What’s in Biden’s nuclear roadmap? Challenges such as limited skilled labor, domestic fuel shortages, and infrastructure constraints have historically hindered U.S. nuclear development. The 36-page document drafted by the Biden administration emphasizes the need for clean, safe nuclear energy.
Recommendations include measures to license large reactors and ensure long-term financial support. It also explores the possibility of installing micro-reactors at Department of Defense facilities.
The future of nuclear power in the country. Demand for nuclear energy has increased as tech giants seek reliable, sustainable power sources.
This year, major technology firms have made significant investments in nuclear power. Microsoft led by signing an agreement to restart the Three Mile Island plant in 2019, followed by Google and Amazon for their data centers. Meta recently joined this trend as well.
Trump’s stance on nuclear and renewable energy will remain under review until early next year. Analyses from Reuters and The Wall Street Journal suggest that the recent boom in clean energy may face new challenges. Notably, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has joined Trump’s advisory team, adding a layer of uncertainty to the future of U.S. energy policy.
Image | Gage Skidmore
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