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President celebrates private-sector milestone as four advanced reactors go critical
Summary
At a White House briefing, the president said four privately funded advanced reactors met an administration target to begin operations; agency and industry leaders described the achievement as the start of a broader U.S. nuclear renaissance and cited private capital commitments and near-term military applications.
President Trump opened the briefing by calling the day "a historic milestone for civilian nuclear energy and the incredible renaissance of nuclear power in America," and credited last year's executive orders for catalyzing an effort to restart U.S. advanced-reactor development.
"As part of this effort, I directed [the secretary of energy] to establish a pilot program for advanced reactors and see at least 3 cutting edge reactors started up safely by the July 4," the president said, and added that four companies succeeded in meeting that deadline. Michael Kratios, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, noted the last privately funded new reactor design to go critical in the U.S. was in 1974 and called the companies' achievement a major historical milestone: "The last time that a privately funded, new reactor design went critical was in 1974."
Company leaders onstage described near-term commercial plans and defense applications. Jordan Bramble, speaking for Antares, said his company sees advanced reactors as "a strategic technology for our nation" and said Antares aims to place reactors on military installations before 2028. Another executive announced that a reactor "went critical at 12:20AM on the July 4" and said the company intends to raise $1,000,000,000 and occupy a 1,000,000-square-foot facility targeting data centers.
Administration officials framed the outcome as the result of a partnership between innovators and government, and emphasized private capital: one official said the four firms "did not get a government grant" and described the rollout as private-sector capital flowing back into nuclear innovation.
The briefing did not include regulatory texts, congressional actions, or implementation timelines beyond the companies' stated fundraising and deployment targets. Reporters asked follow-ups about company oversight, safety, and whether the administration had authorized particular international agreements tied to nuclear cooperation; the president and officials replied with policy framing and conditions rather than detailed technical or licensing information.
The president closed by thanking the industry and agency leaders present. The administration did not announce new regulatory waivers or statutory changes during the briefing; next steps for licensing, safety reviews, and any required congressional notifications were not specified.
