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Energy secretary touts small modular reactors and "nuclear life‑cycle" campuses; says 28 states responded
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Summary
Secretary Chris Wright said the administration expects multiple small modular reactors to reach criticality soon and described a voluntary request for proposals for "nuclear life‑cycle" innovation campuses, with 28 states responding to host reprocessing and permanent disposal functions.
Secretary Chris Wright described an administration push to restart U.S. nuclear construction at scale and to adopt a different approach to waste: voluntary "nuclear life‑cycle" innovation campuses.
Asked whether the administration will achieve a goal of having advanced reactors reach criticality by July 4, Wright said he expects small modular reactors to be running in the near term and called the effort a cornerstone of broader energy and industrial strategy.
On waste, Wright said the administration has shifted from an imposed single‑site repository approach to asking, "Who wants to host nuclear life cycle innovation campuses?" He said the RFP requires proposals to include permanent disposal after reprocessing and that 28 states responded and are being evaluated. "We will have more than one," he said, framing the program as voluntary and potentially widely distributed.
Wright described life‑cycle campuses as sites that could include enrichment, fuel fabrication, reactor operations and reprocessing, followed by processing and deep burial of residual waste. He said the approach emphasizes local economic benefits and voluntary host selection to avoid the political opposition that hampered past repository efforts.
The interview did not provide specific site names, technical designs, regulatory approvals, or schedules; Wright acknowledged Yucca Mountain's political history and said the new approach seeks hosts rather than imposing siting.
