A uranium nuclear fuel rod. The 2025 EOs are driving public and private investment to rebuild a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain, but sustained support is crucial to realize long-term energy and national security goals. (Shutterstock/Parilov)

Proactive Policy Supports Expanding America’s Nuclear Fuel Supply

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The 2025 executive orders are driving public and private investment to rebuild a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain, but sustained support is crucial to realize long-term energy and national security goals.

The May 2025 executive orders on nuclear energy mark the most consequential federal support for the US nuclear fuelcycle in decades. By targeting enrichment, conversion, advanced fuel fabrication, and recycling, the Trump administration has transformed long-standing policy ambitions into a coordinated industrial strategy. Early evidence suggests that these actions are already informing investment decisions and accelerating the expansion of a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.

The Strategic Stakes of Nuclear Fuel Supply

At stake is more than increasing nuclear generation. If the United States is serious about expanding nuclear power—potentially quadrupling capacity by 2050—it must continue to enact and support stable, predictable policies that enable US and allied companies to invest confidently in the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain. For decades, the US nuclear fuel cycle has been an afterthought, leaving it exposed to potential disruptions, such as an over-reliance on Russia for supply. The 2025 executive orders explicitly recognize this vulnerability and move to correct it by aligning policy, regulation, and market incentives.

Executive Order 14302 and Policy Alignment

Central to this effort is Executive Order 14302, which focuses on revitalizing the nuclear industrial base. Its directives—expanding enrichment and conversion capacity, deploying advanced fuel fabrication, and enabling recycling and reprocessing—send a clear signal that fuel supply is now a........

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