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Secretary Chris Wright: administration aims to have advanced reactors 'critical by July 4'
Summary
At a Utah event, Secretary Chris Wright said four presidential executive orders set bold nuclear targets, including attempts to have next‑generation reactors critical by July 4 and to quadruple U.S. nuclear capacity over 25 years, contingent on regulatory and permitting reforms.
Secretary Chris Wright said the administration set an aggressive timetable to revive U.S. nuclear power, including a goal to have next‑generation reactors "critical by July 4 of this year." He described four presidential executive orders aimed at spurring rapid deployment and said expanding nuclear is central to restoring industrial capacity and national security.
Wright told the audience the executive orders open the door to dramatic expansion — "we're going to quadruple our nuclear capacity in the next 25 years" — but he emphasized that meeting the timeline depends on clearer regulation and faster permitting. He said the U.S. has not brought a non‑light‑water reactor online in over 40 years and that regulatory streamlining and industry mobilization are necessary to meet the stated dates. "If we have thoughtful regulation and we get the bureaucracy out of the way, can the people in this room and other entrepreneurs make it happen? Yes," Wright said.
