Nuclear's Q3 ’25: US Fast-tracks Lift Projects; UK Locks Sizewell C Funding; Asia Backs Space Tech; Costs & Oversight Cap Outlook - Quarter 3 2025
Case for tracking:
Nuclear gained sharper visibility as policy and culture converged in Q3 2025. In the U.S., Trump’s orders to fast-track reactor restarts and SMR approvals boosted projects like Palisades. But nuclear policy in the U.S. is not just about projects (like Palisades or SMRs) but also about regulatory capacity. If the NRC is strained or reshaped, that impacts safety oversight jobs, project timelines, and investor confidence.
The UK advanced financing for Sizewell C, cementing Europe’s nuclear comeback, while Asia expanded both civil reactors and space-propulsion concepts. Here, researchers are exploring nuclear thermal and nuclear-electric propulsion systems, designed to enable faster, more efficient deep-space travel compared to chemical rockets. At the same time, analysts warned that record 2024 output may not last, with aging plants, high costs, and cheaper renewables slowing momentum. Public opinion softened, with nuclear entering mainstream culture as a viable climate tool, but financing and safety debates remained barriers. Globally, Q3 showed nuclear as both a political symbol of energy sovereignty and a practical lever for jobs, investment, and long-term decarbonization.