IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY — The Department of Energy launched its Reactor Pilot Program and rewrote safety and security standards to accelerate the development of experimental nuclear reactors by American companies. This initiative supports a White House goal for at least three new reactors to be operational by July 4, 2026.

President Trump signed an executive order concerning nuclear reactor testing on May 23, 2025. The Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program, designed to reduce regulations and help companies build and run test reactors quickly, commenced shortly after this executive order was signed. The department revised its safety and security standards to streamline regulatory approval for these projects.

Antares Nuclear announced it had gone critical on June 4, 2026. Valar Atomics also went critical on June 18, 2026. Valar Atomics built its experimental reactor in a tentlike structure in the Utah desert and is producing tens of kilowatts of heat from its new reactor core. Aalo Atomics' Critical Test Reactor is located inside the company's facility in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The Department of Energy asserted that the regulations it cut were unnecessary and that safety has not been compromised. The department also exempted these new reactors from environmental reviews. The Department of Energy consulted with companies regarding the rewritten standards but did not consult with the public.

Rita Baranwal, chief nuclear officer at Radiant, stated, "By July 4, we're tracking to get the reactor into DOME and to initiate the testing." Radiant is assembling its reactor inside a secure building called the DOME at the Idaho National Laboratory. Radiant expects its reactor will not be critical by the July 4, 2026 deadline. Baranwal added, "The only thing we will not be doing at [Idaho National Laboratory] this summer is generating electricity." Radiant's reactor uses small nuclear fuel balls containing uranium grains. The company has also started construction on a factory to mass-produce approximately 50 reactors per year.

Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, characterized the race to build reactors as "essentially an exercise in public relations." Lyman also stated, "This is taking us back to the 1950s, and that is not progress." There are currently 96 reactors operating in the United States.

Why It Matters

This initiative represents a federal effort to accelerate nuclear energy development in the United States by reducing regulatory hurdles and setting specific operational deadlines. The goal of having at least three new experimental nuclear reactors operating by July 4, 2026, aims to expand the country's nuclear infrastructure. The streamlining of regulations and exemption from environmental reviews are central to the program's approach.