Laura Holgate on the Promise and Perils of Nuclear Innovation

Columbia Energy Exchange · Feb 10, 2026 · 1m

The Trump administration has prioritized nuclear energy expansion, aiming to increase US nuclear capacity fourfold by 2050. This nuclear energy resurgence in the US is a rare issue with bipartisan support, and tech companies have poured billions of dollars into sustaining nuclear power plants and building new reactors to supply AI data centers. But accelerating nuclear power could mean changing environmental and safety reviews. And small modular reactors and other innovations in nuclear energy are likely years from commercial readiness. So is there a way to reinvigorate nuclear energy in the…