While the US White House has requested $53.9bn for the Department of Energy (DOE) for FY 2027, almost 10% up on 2026. The bulk of this – $32.8bn – is allocated to the National Nuclear Security Administration, a 12% increase from 2026. The proposal also includes $1.2bn to support seven AI supercomputers at the Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. Other DOE department, however, see funding reductions. Congress must review and vote on the budget before it is finalised.
The budget will allow DOE “to continue delivering on promises to unleash a golden era of American energy dominance, focus on scientific advancements that benefit the country, and protect the nation”, the DOE budget brief noted.
The request for DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy is $1.5bn, some 9% less than the previous year. This includes:
- $226m for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), including funds for the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC), which is tasked with testing and demonstrating new reactors with the assistance of U.S. national laboratories. The allocation is nearly 16% less than 2026.
- $218.5m for fuel cycle research and development, a 55% decrease. The two categories cut from this R&D budget line item – Used Nuclear Fuel Disposition R&D and Integrated Waste Management System – were reassigned to a new line item: Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste Disposition.
- $3.5bn to support activities to “rapidly generate and transmit additional baseload power,” including upgrades for coal, natural gas, and nuclear generation. This includes $203m for the Office of Electricity and $200m of credit subsidies within the Office of Energy Dominance Financing for eligible baseload power projects.
- A $378m facilities maintenance and operations request for Idaho National Laboratory (INL), an increase of 11%.
- $10m to fund the new Office of Fusion to support activities advancing fusion. However, the budget reduces funding for its contributions to the international ITER fusion project as it shifts focus to domestic fusion efforts.
As for proposals related to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the overall request is for $892.3m a decrease of just over 8%. This includes 2,606 full-time employee equivalents, a decrease of 7%. The NRC budget request includes the following:
- $460.7m for the nuclear reactor safety programme, a decrease of 8.3%. “The decrease is due in part to anticipated efficiencies gained in oversight and licensing activities stemming from the ADVANCE Act, implementation of efficiencies associated with license renewal application reviews, and a reduction in reactor research activities,” according to the NRC budget justification report.
- $132.4m for the nuclear materials and waste safety programme, a 6.4% decrease. According to the justification report, “the decrease is due in part to anticipated workload changes and efficiencies gained in oversight and licensing activities stemming, in part, from the ADVANCE Act”.
