H.R. 2188Passed 1 ChamberMarket BullishEnergy

Fast-Tracks Small Nuclear Reactors for AI Data Centers & Old Coal Sites

Cuts nuclear permitting red tape down to 18 months so tech companies and utilities can build small modular nuclear reactors on retired coal plant sites.

Official Congressional Title (GRID Power & Advanced Nuclear Deployment Act)

To expedite the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors and domestic high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel supply chains to support artificial intelligence data center and grid baseload demand.

Sponsor:Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH)

Cosponsors (64 total):

27 Dem•37 Rep

Bipartisan Consensus Score89/100

Legislative Status Tracker (Latest Action: 2026-11-01)

Introduced

In Committee

Passed 1 Chamber

Passed Both

Signed into Law

Latest: Passed House by overwhelmingly bipartisan vote (368 - 48); received in the Senate.

The Plain-English Breakdown

AI data centers and electric grids are running out of electricity, and building a traditional nuclear power plant in the U.S. usually takes 10 to 15 years of paperwork. Meanwhile, dozens of old coal power plants are shutting down, leaving behind perfectly good power lines and grid hookups. This bipartisan bill creates a fast-track lane: if a utility or data center wants to put a pre-approved 'Small Modular Reactor' (SMR) on an old coal plant site, regulators must finish the permit review in 18 months instead of 7+ years. It also invests $2.7 billion to make specialized nuclear fuel inside the U.S. so we don't have to buy it from Russia.

What Actually Changes in Real Life If Passed

Caps Nuclear Regulatory Commission review times at 18 months for pre-approved modular reactors built on retired fossil-fuel sites.
Blocks repetitive activist lawsuits from re-litigating the same reactor design at every new construction site.
Commits $2.7 billion to guarantee a U.S.-made supply of HALEU fuel for next-generation nuclear reactors.
Allows hyperscale AI data centers to sign behind-the-meter nuclear power agreements without waiting a decade for grid upgrades.

Clause-by-Clause: Official Verbiage vs. Plain English

Side-by-side translation of the bill's key statutory sections

Sec. 2 — 18-Month Permit Shot-Clock on Brownfield SitesPermitting Reform

📜 Official Statutory Verbiage

“The Commission shall complete final action on a combined license application within 18 months if the facility utilizes a certified design at a retired fossil generation site.”

✨ Plain-English Translation

If you use an already-approved nuclear reactor blueprint on an old coal plant site, the government must approve or deny the permit in 18 months flat.

Sec. 5 — $2.7B Domestic Nuclear Fuel Offtake PoolSupply Chain

📜 Official Statutory Verbiage

“The Secretary shall establish a revolving purchase commitment program for domestically produced high-assay low-enriched uranium assayed between 5 and 20 percent U-235.”

✨ Plain-English Translation

Guarantees the U.S. government will buy specialized nuclear fuel from American enrichers so private companies have the confidence to build U.S. fuel plants.

Who Wins / Benefits

SMR Nuclear Developers & Uranium Enrichers (Centrus, Oklo, NuScale, Constellation)

Slashes their #1 bottleneck—regulatory licensing delays and domestic HALEU fuel availability.

Hyperscale AI Cloud Providers (Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta)

Unlocks gigawatts of 24/7 carbon-free nuclear power needed to train and run next-gen AI clusters.

Who Pays / Loses

Anti-Nuclear Environmental Litigation Groups

Loses ability to file multi-year NEPA environmental lawsuits challenging reactor designs that already passed safety certification.

Market & Public Equity Impact

Sectors, ETFs, and public companies exposed to this legislation

Market Bullish

High-conviction bullish catalyst for domestic nuclear fuel enrichers (LEU), SMR developers (OKLO, SMR), and nuclear merchant power operators (CEG, VST).

LEUCentrus Energy Corp.

POSITIVE

Primary U.S. licensed producer of HALEU nuclear fuel; direct beneficiary of the $2.7B DOE domestic purchase pool.

CEGConstellation Energy

POSITIVE

Largest U.S. nuclear operator expanding data-center co-location and next-gen reactor deployments.

OKLOOklo Inc.

POSITIVE

Fast-fission micro-reactor developer targeting AI data center power agreements; benefits from 18-month NRC shot-clock.

CCJCameco Corporation

POSITIVE

Major uranium supplier and Westinghouse co-owner benefiting from accelerated U.S. nuclear buildout.

Rider & Hidden Pork Detector

Checks for unrelated attachments, earmarks, or omnibus logrolling

Rider Complexity15/100

Tightly focused energy infrastructure bill with strong bipartisan consensus and transparent DOE fuel funding.

Legalese Jargon Decoder

Phrases in this bill that sound technical—and what they really mean

"Brownfield generation site"

Plain Meaning: Land where an old coal, gas, or industrial plant already stood—meaning high-voltage power lines and water pipes are already there.

Why Congress uses it: Distinguishes reusing old industrial land from clearing untouched forests ('greenfield' sites).

"High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU)"

Plain Meaning: Next-generation nuclear fuel enriched to 5%–20% (higher than old reactors' 5%, but well below weapons-grade).

Why Congress uses it: Required by almost all modern compact modular reactors so they can run for years without refueling.

Official Congressional Record

Congressional Research Service (CRS) & Statutory Text

Official CRS Summary

This bill directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to establish an expedited 18-month licensing pathway for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) co-located at retired coal plant sites or high-capacity AI data center industrial parks. It authorizes $2.7 billion in federal purchase commitments for domestically enriched HALEU nuclear fuel and limits repetitive NEPA environmental lawsuits once a generic reactor design has been certified.

Official Legislative Verbiage Excerpt

SEC. 2. EXPEDITED LICENSING FOR BROWNFIELD AND INDUSTRIAL CO-LOCATED MICRO-REACTORS.
Not later than 180 days after enactment, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission shall promulgate rules establishing an 18-month maximum review timeline for combined construction and operating licenses for reactor designs previously certified...

SEC. 5. DOMESTIC HALEU FUEL BANK AND PURCHASE GUARANTEES.
The Secretary of Energy is authorized to enter into long-term offtake contracts...

Official Action Timeline

2026-11-01

Passed House by recorded vote: 368 - 48.

2026-09-14

Ordered to be reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

2025-04-08

Introduced in House and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.