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Wright Celebrates U.S. Nuclear Energy Accomplishments at Idaho National Laboratory, Jun. 25, 2026

June 25, 2026 · U.S. Department of Energy · 0:51:26

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Energy Secretary Chris Wright spoke at Idaho National Laboratory at an event celebrating the administration’s nuclear energy accomplishments, in the Department of Energy’s full upload of the June 25, 2026 program. Speakers at the event — introduced by Wright as “Nuclear Woodstock” in his own remarks — credited President Trump’s directive to have nuclear reactors critical by July 4 of this year and the order approving many new reactors.

Wright told the audience that a reactor at the lab had gone critical on June 18 — “meaning a self-sustained chain reaction. It was turned on” — and announced, “I’m very, very thrilled to announce today, I signed the authorization” for the next reactor company, which he expected to follow within days, as he stated it. He also named Deployable Energy as on the cusp and noted that Radiant and Oklo were among the reactor companies working at the site, as he presented them. In the remarks-only upload of the same event, Wright called the moment a pivot in America’s nuclear energy and energy history, and relayed President Trump’s thanks to the lab community.

Why it matters

Idaho is where the administration’s reactor pilot program is being proven out in public: a first criticality banked on June 18, a second authorization signed on stage on June 25, and the Energy Secretary presenting the sequence as evidence that the July 4 deadline strategy is working.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard watch: the nuclear milestones as stated at the June 25, 2026 Idaho National Laboratory event — a reactor critical on June 18 and a further authorization signed by Secretary Wright on June 25, against the President’s July 4 criticality goal. Flagged for the scoreboard editor; no entry is published from this page.

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, “Secretary Wright Celebrates President Trump’s U.S. Nuclear Energy Accomplishments” (official upload, embedded above); U.S. Department of Energy, “Secretary Delivers Remarks at Idaho National Laboratory” (official upload of Secretary Wright’s remarks at the same event; remarks as delivered by Secretary Wright).