For years, America treated nuclear power like an industry of the past. Projects stalled. Permits piled up. Domestic supply chains weakened. Bureaucracy replaced ambition.

Just over a year ago, a nuclear comeback still seemed unlikely. The industry had spent decades fighting red tape and years standing still. Few believed it could move fast enough to meet the nation’s growing energy needs.

Then, in May 2025, President Trump issued four executive orders that broke with the status quo. He set aggressive goals and tight deadlines. His message was simple: America would move quickly and decisively to usher in a new golden age of nuclear energy.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the brilliant scientists and industry leaders working with the Department of Energy are already delivering results.

A total of four advanced reactors from Antares Nuclear, Valar Atomics, Deployable Energy and Aalo Atomics have now reached criticality, the point at which a reactor sustains a nuclear chain reaction. A year ago, even many nuclear optimists would have dismissed that pace as unrealistic.

Today, it is reality.

In the week before July 4, Secretary Wright traveled to Idaho to mark the industry’s progress.

“President Trump set an ambitious goal to revive the American nuclear energy industry,” he said. “I am so honored and proud to say, we are actually doing it. We will look back in history and remember this pivot, not just in America’s nuclear energy, but in America’s energy.”

That pivot did not happen by accident. The Trump administration paired its promises with serious federal support.

We are investing billions of dollars in domestic uranium enrichment. The Energy Department’s Energy Dominance Financing office recently announced $17.5 billion in conditional loans to restart supply chains needed to get 10 large commercial reactors under construction by 2030. The office is also helping restart two nuclear power plants, Crane in Pennsylvania and Palisades in Michigan, with more to be announced soon.

These investments do more than support individual projects. They send a clear signal to utilities, manufacturers, investors and workers: America is serious about building nuclear power again.

Money alone, however, will not revive an industry. The government must also clear the obstacles that have made nuclear development so slow and expensive.

The Department of Energy has begun doing exactly that. Since the start of 2025, it has streamlined the process for authorizing new reactor designs. It has opened the world’s first test bed for microreactors. It has renewed the push to recycle used nuclear fuel. It has also created more room for private companies to solve the practical challenges of producing, reusing and managing that fuel.

This is what effective energy policy looks like. Set a clear goal. Remove needless barriers. Invest in American technology. Then let builders build.

The stakes extend far beyond the nuclear industry.

America needs more reliable and affordable electricity. Families need relief from rising energy costs. Businesses need dependable power to expand and compete. Communities need high-quality jobs that cannot be outsourced. Our national security also demands that we stop relying on foreign countries for the fuel that powers our reactors.

A stronger nuclear industry can help meet every one of those needs.

The administration has set a goal of increasing America’s nuclear capacity to 400 gigawatts by 2050. Reaching it will require speed, discipline and sustained investment. It will also require the federal government and private industry to keep working together.

The resources are available. Bolstered by the Working Families Tax Cut, the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing now has more than $250 billion in loan authority. Nuclear projects are eligible to compete for all of it.

For too long, America allowed its nuclear advantage to erode. Imprudent energy policies set us back by delaying projects and weakening our supply chains, as we watched other nations move ahead.

That era is ending.

Momentum is growing and progress will continue to take many forms. Earlier this week, five states were selected by the department as potential hosts for Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses. A bold reimagining of the domestic nuclear fuel cycle, these campuses could potentially bring regions billions of dollars in capital investment and create thousands of high-paying jobs while supporting American manufacturing and energy security.

The question is no longer whether an American nuclear renaissance is possible. It is already underway. The task now is to build on that momentum with greater speed, bolder action and the confidence of a nation prepared to lead again.

Welcome to America’s nuclear golden age.

Ted Garrish is the U.S. assistant secretary for Nuclear Energy.