Energy Policy Perspectives Vol. 17 - March 24, 2026 At an energy conference yesterday, DOE Secretary Chris Wright announced that the U.S. DOE is on track to have three next-generation nuclear reactor pilot projects reach criticality by July 4 th . This target reflects the Trump Administration’s effort to revitalize the nuclear generation industry via a series of executive orders (EOs) amid rapidly rising power demand from AI/data centers. Criticality is a physics milestone at

Energy Policy Perspectives Vol. 16 - March 20, 2026 Attacks in the Middle East continue to escalate, raising the near and intermediate-term stakes of the Iran war. On Wednesday, Israel hit the key South Pars natural gas field while Iran retaliated with an attack on the Qatari Jas Laffar LNG plant that provides roughly 20% of global LNG deliveries, causing extensive damage and driving a spike in European natural gas prices.  Brent crude oil prices briefly spiked intra-day on T

Energy Policy Perspectives Vol. 15 - March 12, 2026 The Trump administration is pursuing multiple policy initiatives to prevent a major spike in crude oil prices, which peaked Monday at nearly $120/bbl, following the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly 20% of the global oil trade.  To soften the supply shock, the administration’s focus is on preventing the shutdown of shipping of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz and preventing phys