A Global Nuclear Power Renaissance Isn’t Living Up to the Hype
China is building reactors at an unprecedented pace — but the rest of the world is lagging far behind.
Crane Clean Energy Center, previously known as Three Mile Island, is being rehabilitated for nuclear power generation under Microsoft Corp.
Photographer: Wesley Lapointe/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Nuclear power is winning support from tech companies, utilities and governments seeking carbon-free, round-the-clock energy to fuel an artificial intelligence boom. In October, the Trump administration added fresh impetus — advancing an $80 billion plan to subsidize new facilities and fast-track experimental designs.
And yet in much of the world — from the US to France, Europe’s nuclear powerhouse — those lofty ambitions are at odds with the reality of an industry hollowed out by decades of stagnation.
A Bloomberg News analysis of company announcements, construction pipelines and industry forecasts suggest the current push comes too late to stop China’s nuclear capacity from overtaking the US fleet at the start of the next decade. Today, the US is the biggest producer of electricity from splitting atoms, but its output will plateau over the next decade. Others, like Japan, are struggling to maintain their capacities.