The U.S. Department of Energy on Aug. 12 officially kicked off President Trump’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, announcing DOE will initially work with 11 advanced reactor projects to move their technologies towards deployment.
DOE will work with industry on these 11 projects, with the goal to construct, operate, and achieve criticality of at least three test reactors using the DOE authorization process by July 4, 2026.
“Today’s initial selections represent an important step toward streamlining nuclear reactor testing and unleashes a new pathway toward fast-tracking commercial licensing activities,” it said.
DOE announced the Reactor Pilot Program in June 2025, following Trump’s Executive Order 14301, which reforms reactor testing at the Department.
The goal of the Reactor Pilot Program is to expedite the testing of advanced reactor designs that will be authorized by the Department at sites that are located outside of the national laboratories.
Seeking DOE authorization provided under the Atomic Energy Act will help the selected companies -- Aalo Atomics Inc., Antares Nuclear Inc., Atomic Alchemy Inc., Deep Fission Inc., Last Energy Inc., Oklo Inc., Natura Resources LLC, Radiant Industries Inc., Terrestrial Energy Inc., and Valar Atomics Inc. -- unlock private funding and provide a fast-tracked approach to future commercial licensing activities, DOE said.
Each company will be responsible for all costs associated with designing, manufacturing, constructing, operating, and decommissioning their test reactors.
