The department's move comes after President Donald Trump issued executive orders in May seeking to speed permitting of nuclear reactors and reform the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an independent agency. The orders allow the Energy Department to authorize the test reactors, without the NRC.

The White House wants to speed up approval for microreactors, as some scientists warn of unresolved safety and waste disposal issues.

US DoE names firms for Pilot Program to show how it could be done America's Department of Energy (DoE) has named ten companies it will work with to test advanced atomic reactor projects outside of the agency's world-famous national laboratories,