Civil Nuclear Export Act of 2026

S. 5254 (Civil Nuclear Export Act of 2026) would amend the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to change how the Export-Import Bank handles financing for civil nuclear energy exports. It would carve out an exception to the Bank's existing prohibition on financing nuclear facilities, allowing purchases permitted under a Section 123 agreement (the standard U.S. framework for civilian nuclear cooperation with other countries) or other applicable U.S. law. It would also add civil nuclear energy technologies, materials, services, and related infrastructure to the Bank's "Program on China and Transformational Exports," raise the amount the Bank can lend beyond its normal cap for that program (up to an additional $50 billion) and the associated reserve requirement (from 2% to 4%), and let the Bank exclude Program on China and Transformational Exports financing from certain default-rate calculations, subject to Board approval.

The bill primarily affects the Export-Import Bank's lending authority and, in turn, U.S. companies seeking financing to export civil nuclear technology, equipment, and services abroad, as well as foreign purchasers of those exports under approved nuclear cooperation agreements.

The bill was introduced in the Senate on August 5, 2026, by Senator James Risch (R-ID), with Senator Warner as a cosponsor, and was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. It would need to be reported out of committee and pass both chambers before being sent to the President.

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