Learn how the U.S. Department of Energy is working to clear the path for advanced reactor testing with a new, streamlined authorization process.
April 16, 2026
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The United States is in the midst of a nuclear energy renaissance that will reestablish the nation as the global leader in nuclear power generation.
Advanced nuclear reactors will play a pivotal role in delivering that future.
In order to deliver on nuclear energy’s promise, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed a streamlined process to help accelerate development of next-generation reactor designs.
The DOE reactor authorization process provides tomorrow’s cutting-edge reactor concepts with a faster route to design approval and testing than traditional pathways developed decades ago with large, light-water reactors in mind.
Read on for 5 fast facts about this game-changing approach.
1. DOE authorization creates a pathway that enables nuclear innovation.
New reactor designs for commercial use in the United States are reviewed and approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Until now, advanced reactor developers needed exceptions to fit their nuclear technologies into a licensing process designed for light-water reactors only. Getting those exceptions takes too much time in today’s world.
Under the Atomic Energy Act, DOE has the authority to approve reactor authorizations for research, development and demonstration. That authority is now being used to enable advanced reactor developers to certify, build and test prototype reactors that can inform full-scale commercial deployment.
By tailoring the authorization process to these advanced nuclear energy technologies, DOE is enabling the kind of rapid innovation needed to meet rising energy demands.
The Reactor Pilot Program is the best example of this new process in action.
2. Safety remains DOE’s number one priority.
The focus on safety is paramount for DOE reactor authorization.
The DOE authorization process is fundamentally similar to the NRC process in all aspects of reactor safeguards and security. The main change is in how those requirements are spelled out.
The updated DOE pathway places the emphasis on the safety standards themselves, rather than the fine details of how those standards should be achieved — details like physical fitness testing requirements for security guards, for example.
Bottom line: the reactor developer is responsible for ensuring the safety of the reactor. DOE’s job is to review the design and ensure that authorized reactors, fuel lines, and other nuclear facilities are designed, constructed, and operate in a way that protects workers, the public, and the environment.
3. The new pathway cuts down on unnecessary steps.
In response to President Trump’s executive orders issued in May 2025, DOE revised its process to expedite the review, approval, and construction of advanced reactors under the Department’s jurisdiction.
Previously, the guidance for DOE-approved reactors was over 1,500 pages long, with 17 discrete steps that a design had to complete before construction could begin.
DOE’s revamped authorization pathway cuts that process down to 11 steps and eliminates more than 900 pages of unnecessary, repetitive, and extraneous language.
What was removed?
DOE often approved the fine details of design and operations. For example, DOE defined exactly how System Engineers are trained, rather than ensuring that they were competent in maintaining their safety systems.
Significant time and money was directed to generating reports instead of prioritizing safety for workers and the public.
The DOE authorization pathway follows U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Large chunks of those regulations were duplicated word-for-word in the old process.
4. DOE authorization supports NRC licensing.
While DOE’s authorization is focused on testing and demonstration and the NRC’s licensing process is focused on commercial deployment, that doesn’t mean the two processes are separate or incompatible.
On the contrary, DOE and the NRC are working together to share data, technical expertise, and knowledge on advanced nuclear reactor and fuel technologies.
For example, the NRC is monitoring the progress of the reactor designs participating in the Reactor Pilot Program. The data gathered during each reactor’s testing phase will prove invaluable for the companies that seek to commercialize their authorized reactor designs later under the NRC’s mandate.
5. The DOE authorization pathway gets results.
Thanks to President Trump, we are finally meeting the urgency of this moment with the bold leadership it requires.
In less than a year, four advanced reactor designs have secured Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis approval from DOE and are on track to reach criticality by July 4, 2026 — the deadline set by the President in his executive orders.
That would be more new reactors reaching this key milestone in a single year than in the past six decades combined.
Speed is of the essence. Global energy demand is rising as the United States seeks to win the AI race and reassert nuclear energy dominance.
And DOE is working hand-in-hand with industry to accelerate the American nuclear energy renaissance, ensuring economic prosperity and energy security for generations to come.