“President Trump has outlined a bold and ambitious agenda to unleash American energy at home and abroad to restore energy dominance,” Wright says in the order, Unleashing the Golden Era of American Energy Dominance. To compete globally, the USA must expand energy production and reduce energy costs; lead the world in innovation and technology breakthroughs; and permit and build energy infrastructure as well as removing barriers to progress, he said.

The order recognises the importance of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Research and Development enterprise in underpinning these efforts, advancing basic science, strengthening the reliability of the energy system, and bolstering manufacturing competitiveness and supply chain security. The DOE’s R&D efforts will prioritise “affordable, reliable, and secure energy technologies, including fossil fuels, advanced nuclear, geothermal, and hydropower”, he said, alongside “true technological breakthroughs” including fusion, high-performance computing, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.

The DOE will “comprehensively review its R&D portfolio” and will “rigorously enforce project milestones to ensure that taxpayer resources are allocated appropriately and cost-effectively consistent with the law”, he said.

Unleashing nuclear

 

The USA must also “unleash” domestic commercial nuclear power, the order says: “The long-awaited American nuclear renaissance must launch during President Trump’s administration. As global energy demand continues to grow, America must lead the commercialisation of affordable and abundant nuclear energy. As such, the Department will work diligently and creatively to enable the rapid deployment and export of next-generation nuclear technology.”

No mention is made of nuclear’s net-zero attributes, and while the first of the nine areas for action set out in the order focuses on the desire to increase US energy production it questions the success of net-zero policies. “Great attention has been paid to the pursuing of a net-zero carbon future. Net-zero policies raise energy costs for American families and businesses, threaten the reliability of our energy system, and undermine our energy and national security. They have also achieved precious little in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. The fact is that energy matters, and we need more of it, not less,” Wright says.

The order calls for a resumption of US exports of liquefied natural gas to countries without a free trade agreement with the USA, as well as replenishing the country’s depleted strategic petroleum reserve.

Energy services company Liberty Energy announced on 3 February that Wright has now stepped down as the company’s CEO and chairman of the company he founded in 2011, concurrent with his confirmation as Energy Secretary. The Colorado-headquartered company provides services to the onshore oil, natural gas, and enhanced geothermal energy sectors in North America, and is recognised as a technology leader in the fracking industry.

Wright has also stepped down from the board of nuclear power plant developer Oklo following his confirmation. “His expertise in energy and technology has been instrumental in shaping our vision, and we look forward to his leadership in the Department of Energy,” Oklo CEO and co-founder Jacob DeWitte said.