The DOE reorganization’s impact on nuclear

The reorganization chiefly involves the slight renaming of existing offices, the creation of others, and the apparent scrapping of still more.

High-level changes: Along with its press release, the DOE posted its new organization chart.

The DOE is headed by the Office of the Secretary, under which there are three major suboffices, along with a handful of stand-alone offices. Those major suboffices are listed below:

• The Office of Security (S5) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which has remained broadly unchanged by this reorganization.
• The Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation (S4) which has been slightly renamed to cut “and Innovation” from its title (it will be referred to as “Science” hereafter).
• The Office of the Under Secretary for Infrastructure (S3), which has been renamed the Office of the Under Secretary for Energy (hereafter, “Energy”).

NNSA changes: S5 and the NNSA have the fewest organizational changes. No offices under its jurisdiction have been cut, but one has been added to the chart: the Office of Communication (NA-COMM). NA-COMM existed before this reorganization. It is unclear why it was not listed in previous organizational charts.

S4 changes: The changes in Science and Energy are much more substantial. The following changes have been made to offices previously housed under Science:

• The Arctic Energy Office (AE) has been moved from Science to Energy.
• The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) has been moved from Science to Energy.
• The Office of Electricity (OE) has been moved from Science to Energy.
• The Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies (OCET) is no longer listed.
• The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) is no longer listed.
• The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) is no longer listed.

The only office previously housed under Science to remain through this reorganization is the Office of Science (SC). In addition, Science is now the home of four new offices:

• Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC).
• Office of Strategy & Technology Roadmaps (OSTR).
• Office of Fusion (OF).
• Office of Artificial Intelligence and Quantum (AIQ).

S3 changes: Energy is also the site of a significant number of changes. Below are the offices that are no longer listed under Energy:

• Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED).
• Office of Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP).
• Grid Deployment Office (GDO).
• Office of Manufacturing & Energy Supply Chains (MESC).
• Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP).
• Loan Programs Office (LPO).

Energy is also home to a number of newly listed offices:

• Office of Electricity (OE).
• Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO).
• Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF).

Within Energy, the Office of Indian Energy Policy & Programs (IE) and the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security & Emergency Response (CESER) are the only two to remained unchanged by this reorganization.

A few more cuts: Outside of the three major suboffices of the DOE, most offices (like General Counsel and Public Affairs) remained unchanged, but there are some key cuts and additions. The 2025 reorganization chart shows the following cuts: the Office of the Ombudsman, the Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA), the Office of Hearings & Appeals (HG), the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), the Office of Energy Justice and Equity (EJE), the Office of Project Management (PM), and the Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU).

As for new creations outside of the major suboffices, there is the new Office of Minority Economic Impact (MI) and the new Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI).

Takeaways and the unknowns: Beyond the release of the updated organizational chart, the DOE has yet to announce what these sweeping changes mean for the department or the energy sector at large.

The public apparently isn’t alone in the dark. According to an anonymous DOE staffer who spoke to E&E News, DOE staff received no explanation of the reorganization prior to the announcement. That article also quoted two other unidentified people familiar with the reorganization who said reductions in force are not expected to immediately follow these changes, though layoffs remain possible. Those potential layoffs would pile onto an already significant staff reduction following Department of Government Efficiency–related cuts earlier this year.

Going off department names alone still allows for some relatively safe speculation. For instance, it is probable that the newly listed EDF (not to be confused with the utility Électricité de France) will function similarly or identically to the LPO. Whether more structural changes will come to the office is currently unknown, but Energy Secretary Chris Wright has continually said he plans to direct most of the office’s funding to new nuclear.

Notably, the creation of the CMEI aligns with the U.S. Geological Survey’s identification of uranium as a critical mineral earlier this month. Again, it is unclear as of now how an interdepartmental collaboration between the DOE and Interior would progress (if at all) in critical minerals.

Broadly, these changes seem to reflect a move away from renewables and a move toward geothermal, fossils, and nuclear—which is in line with the Trump administration’s energy policy. The creation of the Office of Fusion is also notable as an indicator of more pronounced executive support for the field. On the other hand, the dismantlement of OCED is likely to have implications on how the DOE supports the advanced nuclear sector.

Ultimately, time will tell how these sweeping changes will impact the DOE, its staffers, its partners, the sector, the country at large, and the next administration’s energy agenda.