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Where Is US Nuclear Energy Actually Headed?

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10.02.2026

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A – November 19, 2021 – A view of the Limerick Generating Station is located northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Washington wants a nuclear renaissance, but cost, risk, and time still stand in the way of real progress.

Over the past few years—and across various presidential administrations—nuclear energy has come back into vogue. It has been characterized as an issue of national security, decarbonization, reindustrialization, and—increasingly—as critical for powering the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Over the past year, the Trump administration has been pushing for a nuclear renaissance, including it as part of its energy dominance strategy, with the goal to quadruple US nuclear capacity by 2050, and announced up to $80 billion in support for Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor. 

Yet for all the momentum and money, real progress remains slow.

So what is holding US nuclear power back? And what would it actually take to move from ambition to action? 

In this episode of Three Questions, Paul Saunders, President for........

© The National Interest