The primary mission of the Nuclear Energy (NE) program is to advance nuclear power as a resource capable of contributing toward the nation’s energy supply, environmental, and national security needs.
To ensure that nuclear energy remains a viable energy option for the nation, NE supports research, development, and demonstration activities, when appropriate, designed to resolve the technical, cost, safety, waste management, proliferation resistance, and security challenges of increased use of nuclear energy. NE leads the federal research effort to develop nuclear energy technologies, including generation, safety, waste storage and management, and security technologies to help meet energy security, proliferation resistance, and climate goals.
See the DOE FY 2025 Budget Request.
Office of Nuclear Energy FY 2025 Budget Request
Dollars in Thousands
FY 2023 Enacted | FY 2024 Enacted | FY 2025 Request | ||
| 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 | |
| University and Competitive Research Programs | 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 | |
| Reactor Concepts RD&D | 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 | |
| Fuel Cycle Research and Development | 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 | |
| Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies | 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 | |
| Advanced Reactors Demonstration Program | 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 | - | - | |
| Infrastructure | 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