The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) works to advance nuclear energy science and technology to meet the nation's most pressing energy, environmental, and economic needs.
We support the civilian nuclear energy programs of the U.S. Government to accelerate the research and development of advanced nuclear energy technologies that will help usher in a new golden age for the country's nuclear energy industry and advance the Administration’s Energy Dominance agenda.
See the DOE FY 2027 Budget Request.
Office of Nuclear Energy Budget Request
Dollars in Thousands
FY 2025 Enacted | FY 2026 Enacted | FY 2027 Request | ||
| University and Competitive Research Programs | 140,000 | 146,100 | 128,841 | |
| NEUP, SBIR/STTR, and TCF | 105,140 | 111,240 | 92,237 | |
| University Fuel Services | 28,230 | 28,230 | 29,642 | |
| University Nuclear Leadership Program | 6,630 | 6,630 | 6,962 | |
| Reactor Concepts RD&D | 127,800 | 176,800 | 127,059 | |
| Advanced Reactor Technologies | 73,800 | 78,800 | 92,059 | |
| Advanced Small Modular Reactor RD&D | ---- | 45,000 | ---- | |
| Integrated Energy Systems | 9,500 | 16,000 | ---- | |
| Power Reactor Optimization (formerly LWR Sustainability) | 44,500 | 37,000 | 35,000 | |
| Fuel Cycle Research & Development | 444,900 | 490,000 | 218,500 | |
| Accident Tolerant Fuels | 97,900 | 98,000 | 87,400 | |
| Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability | 126,500 | 123,500 | ---- | |
| Fuel Cycle Laboratory R&D | 16,000 | 16,000 | 16,700 | |
| Integrated Waste Management System | 57,500 | 55,000 | ---- | |
| Material Recovery and Waste Form Development | 33,000 | 57,000 | 52,375 | |
| Mining, Conversion, and Transportation | 1,500 | 1,500 | 1,425 | |
| Next Generation Fuels | 65,500 | 92,000 | 60,600 | |
| Used Nuclear Fuels Disposition R&D | 47,000 | 47,000 | ---- | |
| Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste Disposition | ---- | ---- | 102,000 | |
| Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies | 93,764 | 113,100 | 93,600 | |
| Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies | 14,082 | 24,000 | 14,000 | |
| Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation | 5,682 | 5,000 | 5,000 | |
| Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear | 11,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | |
| Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation | 28,500 | 28,600 | 28,600 | |
| Nuclear Science User Facilities | 34,500 | 45,500 | 36,000 | |
| Advanced Reactors Demonstration Program | 302,536 | 269,000 | 226,000 | |
| 23-E-200, LOTUS, INL | 16,112 | 30,000 | 9,786 | |
| Advanced Reactor Safeguards and Security | 9,172 | 9,000 | 12,000 | |
| Advanced Reactor Demonstration 1 (X-Energy) | 30,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | |
| Advanced Reactor Demonstration 2 (Terrapower) | 30,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | |
| National Reactor Innovation Center | 63,000 | 65,000 | 51,214 | |
| Regulatory Development | 17,030 | 25,000 | 18,000 | |
| Risk Reduction for Future Demonstration | 137,222 | 130,000 | 115,000 | |
| Infrastructure | 326,000 | 342,000 | 378,000 | |
| Idaho National Laboratory Facilities Operations and Maintenance | 326,000 | 342,000 | 378,000 | |
| Idaho Sitewide Safeguards and Security | 160,000 | 160,000 | 160,000 | |
| Program Direction | 90,000 | 88,000 | 99,735 | |
| PD | 86,850 | 85,000 | 98,735 | |
| INEC | 3,150 | 3,000 | 1,000 | |
| Total, Nuclear Energy | 1,685,000 | 1,685,000 | 1,533,735 | |
| Nuclear Waste Fund | 12,040 | 12,040 | 12,040 | |
Previous Years
Office of Nuclear Energy FY 2025 Budget Request
Dollars in Thousands
FY 2023 Enacted
FY 2024 Enacted
FY 2025 Request
University and Competitive Research Programs 130,276 140,000 143,400 NEUP, SBIR/STTR, and TCF 106,276 113,148 106,670 University Nuclear Leadership Program 6,500 6,630 8,500 University Fuel Services 17,500 20,222 28,230 Reactor Concepts RD&D 130,276 140,000 143,400 Advanced Small Modular Reactor RD&D 164,400 9,500 - Light Water Reactor Sustainability 44,400 44,500 35,000 Advanced Reactor Technologies 59,072 67,300 43,800 Integrated Energy Systems 12,000 15,512 9,500 Fuel Cycle Research and Development 279,872 136,812 88,300 Mining, Conversion, and Transportation 2,000 1,500 2,000 Material Recovery and Waste Form Development 44,500 54,500 38,500 Accident Tolerant Fuels 96,000 92,000 97,900 Fuel Cycle Laboratory R&D 15,000 16,000 15,000 Next Generation Fuels 47,400 63,000 43,290 Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability 100,000 99,500 150,000 Used Nuclear Fuels Disposition R&D 47,000 47,000 47,000 Integrated Waste Management System 53,000 55,000 53,000 Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies 404,900 428,500 446,690 Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies 9,610 10,582 23,000 Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation 6,500 4,582 9,000 Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation 27,500 27,500 28,600 Nuclear Science User Facilities 34,750 34,500 34,500 Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear 10,053 11,100 10,000 Advanced Reactors Demonstration Program 88,413 88,264 105,100 National Reactor Innovation Center 67,000 63,000 31,000 Advanced Reactor Demonstration 1 (X-Energy) 1 30,000 30,000 - Advanced Reactor Demonstration 2 (Natrium) 1 30,000 30,000 - Risk Reduction for Future Demonstration 120,000 137,222 142,500 Regulatory Development 12,065 14,030 15,000 Advanced Reactor Safeguards and Security 9,250 9,172 11,000 23-E-200, LOTUS, INL 20,000 32,000 18,748 Infrastructure 288,315 315,424 218,248 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Nuclear Facilities O&M 2 20,000 - - Idaho National Laboratory Facilities Operations and Maintenance 318,924 326,000 333,922 Construction 16-E-200 Sample Preparation Laboratory 7,300 - - Program Direction 346,224 326,000 333,922 Idaho Sitewide Safeguards and Security 150,000 160,000 150,000 International Nuclear Energy Cooperation 3,320 3,150 8,000 Program Direction 81,680 86,850 97,000 Total, Nuclear Energy 1,773,000 1,685,000 1,590,660 Naval Reactors Advanced Test Reactor Transfer 99,747 92,800 - Nuclear Waste Fund Oversight 10,205 12,040 12,040 1 Advanced Reactor Demonstrations managed by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
2 ORNL Nuclear Facilities O&M included in the Office Science budget starting in FY 2024.Office of Nuclear Energy FY 2020-23 Budget
Dollars in Thousands
FY 2021
ENACTEDFY 2022
ENACTEDFY 2023
ENACTEDFY 2024
CONGRESSIONAL REQUESTIntegrated University Program $5,000 $6,000 $6,500 $6,630 Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) R&D $5,000 (included within Advanced Reactor Technologies) (included within Advanced Reactor Technologies) 0 Reactor Concepts RD&D Advanced Small Modular Reactor RD&D $115,000 $150,000 $165,000 $20,000 Light Water Reactor Sustainability $47,000 $48,000 $45,000 $35,000 Advanced Reactor Technologies $46,000 $59,000 $49,000 $43,200 Reactor Concepts RD&D -- subtotal $208,000 $257,000 $259,000 $98,200 Fuel Cycle R&D Mining, Conversion and Transportation $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $1,500 Civil Nuclear Enrichment $40,000 0 0 0 Materials Recovery and Waste Form Development $25,000 $30,000 $45,000 $39,000 Accident Tolerant Fuels $105,800 $115,000 $114,000 $108,900 TRISO Fuel and Graphite Qualification $36,000 $37,000 $32,000 $25,000 Fuel Cycle Laboratory R&D $20,000 $23,150 $29,000 $29,000 High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) Availability $45,000 $100,000 $120,000 Used Nuclear Fuel Disposition R&D $62,500 $50,000 $47,000 $46,875 Integrated Waste Management System $18,000 $18,000 $53,000 $53,000 Fuel Cycle R&D -- subtotal $309,300 $320,150 $422,000 $423,275 Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies Crosscutting Technology Development $28,000 $29,000 $32,000 $32,778 Joint Modeling and Simulation Program $35,000 $30,000 $28,500 $28,500 Nuclear Science User Facilities $30,000 $33,000 $35,000 $35,000 Transformational Challenge Reactor $29,869 $25,000 0 0 Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies -- subtotal $122,869 $117,000 $95,500 $96,278 Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program National Reactor Innovation Center $30,000 $53,000 $70,000 $34,000 Demonstration 1 (Xe) $80,000 $30,000 0 0 Demonstration 2 (Natrium) $80,000 $30,000 0 0 Demonstration Reactors 0 0 $60,000 0 Risk Reduction for Future Demonstrations $40,000 $115,000 $120,000 $120,000 Regulatory Development $15,000 $15,000 $10,250 $11,000 Advanced Reactor Safeguards $5,000 $5,000 $4,750 $6,000 23-E-200, LOTUS, INL 0 $2,000 $20,000 $32,000 Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program -- subtotal $250,000 $250,000 $285,000 $203,000 Versatile Test Reactor Project Other Project Costs $43,000 0 $45,000 0 21-E-200, Versatile Test Reactor $2,000 0 0 0 Versatile Test Reactor Project -- subtotal $45,000 0 $45,000 0 Infrastructure INL Facilities Operations & Maintenance $280,000 $295,000 $318,924 $318,924 ORNL Infrastructure Facilities O&M $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 0 Research Reactor Infrastructure $11,500 $15,000 0 0 16-E-200, Sample Preparation Laboratory $26,000 $41,850 $7,300 0 Infrastructure -- subtotal $337,500 $371,850 $346,224 $318,924 Idaho Sitewide Safeguards and Security $149,800 $149,800 $150,000 $177,733 International Nuclear Energy Cooperation $3,000 [$3,000] $13,000 Program Direction $75,131 $80,000 $85,000 $85,500 Total, Nuclear Energy R&D $1,507,600 $1,654,800 $1,773,000 $1,562,620 Nuclear Waste Fund Oversight $27,500 $27,500 $10,205 $12,040 NR Transfer $91,000 $92,747 $99,747 0 TOTAL, OFFICE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY $1,626,100 $1,775,047 $1,783,205 $1,574,660