Trump supports nuclear energy because it is 'more American' than wind and solar energy

(Patria) - The Trump administration is more willing to support loan guarantees and tax breaks for nuclear energy than for wind and solar energy because it is 'more American' than these forms of energy, the director of the American Energy Dominance Council said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Jarrod Agen said that nuclear energy is more likely to be produced from parts manufactured in the U.S. than wind turbines and solar farms, so the administration is more prepared to provide it with financial assistance from the U.S. Loan Programs Office and support tax breaks.

"Nuclear energy is new in that we need to invest in it to advance, and it is a long-term game that the president wants to establish," Agen said. "It hasn't had the right kind of investments. It hasn't had the focus that some other intermittent energy sources have had."

Companies leading the construction of nuclear reactors are American companies, he added.

Agen said that building nuclear energy is the third step in the Trump administration's approach to winning the artificial intelligence race against China, after extending the lifespan of aging coal-fired power plants that are facing closure and increasing the efficiency of the existing power grid.

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has employed a series of tactics to halt the expansion of offshore wind farms, which was a cornerstone of former President Joe Biden's efforts to combat climate change, but struggled with rising costs and supply chain issues.

Trump's Interior Department late last month issued an order to halt work on the Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island, which is eighty percent complete.

Agen dismissed criticism that revoking permits for nearly completed renewable energy projects causes instability and uncertainty, saying that the Trump administration is sending a signal that successful projects will not depend on tax breaks or subsidies.

"If you want to invest in a project where you can be financially sustainable without relying on tax subsidies, I think that is the message we are trying to convey, and I think we have seen success in the fossil fuel sector," he said.