Fact-check · Oct 8, 2026
“Our country started up four cutting edge small modular reactors just this year alone.”
FALSE
What the record shows
No commercial small modular reactors began operation in 2025. NRC approved SMR designs in 2025 (NuScale in May), but design approval precedes construction by years. DOE's pilot program targeted first criticality by July 2026, not 2025.
The claim conflates design approvals and licensing milestones with actual operational startups. No SMRs have begun commercial operation in the US.
Sources
- Small modular reactors and microreactors under development in the United States - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- X-energy
- U.S. Department of Energy announces $400 million in funding to accelerate deployment of the nation’s first commercial small modular nuclear reactor
- Terrestrial Energy
- Small modular reactor
- Smaller reactors bring nuclear power closer to fulfilling its promise
From: President Trump Participates in A New Golden Age Summit
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