The United States could see advanced reactors deployed and generating power by 2030, according to the chief federal regulator.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Ho K. Nieh told the Washington Examiner that the nation is on track for a nuclear energy revival, driven by President Donald Trump's push to expand reliable domestic power generation.
The goal is to meet growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence data centers and advanced manufacturing.
Nieh pointed to TerraPower's Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 in Wyoming, which received a construction permit from the NRC earlier this year and will feature a 345-megawatt small modular reactor, or SMR.
He said the project is moving toward final design and fuel preparations and could become one of the first next-generation reactors operating in the United States.
"As to how soon an SMR could be operational in the U.S.," Nieh told the Examiner, "I believe it could happen by 2030."
The optimism reflects the rapid progress made since Trump launched an ambitious nuclear energy agenda aimed at restoring American energy dominance and reducing dependence on foreign energy supplies.
According to the Department of Energy, Trump's 2025 executive orders sparked what officials describe as an "American nuclear renaissance."
The administration established the Reactor Pilot Program, streamlined reactor approvals, accelerated domestic fuel production, and set a goal of expanding U.S. nuclear capacity from roughly 100 gigawatts today to 400 gigawatts by 2050.
The DOE said multiple advanced reactor projects are already advancing through testing and licensing, while new federal programs are helping companies move from development to commercial deployment far more quickly than under previous administrations.
Tennessee has emerged as a major hub of the nuclear resurgence.
In Oak Ridge, the NRC recently accepted Orano USA's application for a $5 billion uranium enrichment facility that could eventually provide about one-third of America's nuclear fuel needs.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, federal regulators are targeting a significantly accelerated review schedule, a sign of the administration's commitment to cutting red tape while maintaining safety standards.
The push comes as policymakers seek reliable power to support the explosive growth of AI technologies and data centers while competing with China for technological leadership.
Nieh noted that some advanced reactors could come online even sooner through partnerships with the military and DOE programs designed to deploy reactors at defense installations.
While supply chain challenges and fuel availability remain hurdles, federal officials say the regulatory framework is now in place to support a new generation of nuclear power.
With advanced reactors moving through licensing, dormant plants being restarted, and billions of dollars flowing into fuel production and reactor development, the U.S. appears closer than it has been in decades to a large-scale nuclear energy comeback — one that administration officials say is essential to America's energy security, economic growth, and technological future.