Secretary of Energy supports quadrupling U.S. nuclear power generation in Idaho National Lab visit
ARCO, Idaho (KIFI) — U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright touted the Trump administration’s efforts to “unleash the next American Nuclear Renaissance,” affirming his support for expanding America's nuclear energy capacity four-fold in the next 25 years — from 100 gigawatts in 2025 to 400 gigawatts by 2050 — during his tour of Idaho National Laboratory on Monday.
"We have tremendous interest right now. Private businesses and private capital to build energy infrastructure, and most of that money is going to flow to natural gas and nuclear," Wright said. "But anything that adds affordable, secure, reliable electricity — we're all for."
About 20 percent of America's energy is currently generated by 94 nuclear reactors in the United States.
He said President Trump's target is "aggressive and ambitious."
"But I wouldn't bet against it," Wright said. "I wouldn't bet against that target being achieved. I think it's going to happen."
A 'Nuclear Renaissance'
Monday marked Wright's final stop on a string of visits to all 17 national laboratories in the U.S. Department of Energy.
“This is ground zero for the nuclear renaissance that the Trump administration is passionate to make happen," Wright said. "It's been talked about for 20 years, but it's actually happening now."
Secretary Wright toured the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) west of Idaho Falls. He was joined by Governor Brad Little, Representative Mike Simpson, Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Theodore “Ted” Garrish, and INL Director John Wagner.
“We need to address all avenues of the nuclear supply chain, the technology, the permitting of reactors, fuels, fuel at the end of life," he continued. "Idaho National Lab, as I said, this is where commercial nuclear power started, and this is where that nuclear renaissance is starting, and it is essential to those efforts.”
In a press conference afterward, Secretary Wright also highlighted the Department of Energy’s goal to construct and have “multiple reactors critical by July 4th of next year.”
Nuclear company Radiant is set to begin testing a Kaleidos microreactor inside the INL's newly repurposed Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility in April, located inside the iconic, former Experimental Breeder Reactor-II containment shell.
Wagner said the project is on track to meet that deadline and achieve criticality by America's 250th birthday next year.
The Department of Energy also announced Monday that it is providing $11 million in funding — split between five corporations — to create new, updated packages to transport high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). The efforts are designed to bolster America's nuclear supply chain by providing accessible HALEU fuel to operating reactors.
AI and Nuclear: An Atomic Match
Finally, Governor Brad Little highlighted tech companies’ interest in pairing data centers with small modular reactors to meet their high energy demands.
“We're blessed that people that are interested in AI are willing to upfront some of the costs," he remarked. "Somebody is going to do this in the world, and somebody is maybe going to be the Chinese if we don't do it right here. We have got to win the battle on where the next generation of power comes from.”
Local News 8 will provide continuing coverage of Sec. Wright's visit and the confluence of AI and nuclear technology tomorrow.
