U.S. and Canada Each Announce 10 New Nuclear Reactors as China Adds 34 GW in a Decade
Claire Weston
The US and Canada each announced 10 new nuclear reactors this week — North America's largest nuclear push in decades — as China's 34 GW of new capacity over the past ten years underscores how far the West has fallen behind.
Why is North America suddenly going big on nuclear?
Three forces converged at once: AI-driven power demand, geopolitical pressure for energy independence, and climate targets that need low-carbon baseload power (steady, round-the-clock electricity that doesn't depend on weather).
Canada's energy minister Tim Hodgson put it bluntly: "Without nuclear providing clean, reliable baseload, there is no credible path to doubling the grid."
This means → Nuclear is no longer just one option on the table — North American governments now classify it as irreplaceable infrastructure.
How are the US and Canada each pushing forward?
Canada aims to double its grid capacity by 2050, with nuclear as a key pillar and 10 new reactors planned.
The Trump administration will offer billions in federal loans, but with a catch — utilities must first put up hundreds of millions of their own money to qualify.
In plain terms = Washington's model is "government provides the big loan, industry puts skin in the game first" — a cost-sharing mechanism for expensive large-scale reactors.
How far ahead is China, and how did the gap open?
Over the past decade the US completed just one new nuclear plant — late and over budget. In the same period China added 34 GW of nuclear capacity.
At its current pace, China is on track to surpass both the US and France within a decade to become the world's largest nuclear-power producer.
This reflects years of Western nuclear stagnation — not a technology gap, but a prolonged failure of permitting, cost control, and political will.
Can the West close the gap? What is the real test?
The US-Canada plans still fall well short of China's latest five-year nuclear targets, but analysts see the move as a major strategic pivot for the West.
*Foreign Policy* magazine cited analysis that nuclear power could play a central role in the global electricity mix by mid-century.
This means → The strategic direction has shifted. Whether it delivers depends on whether North America can finally break its historical pattern of schedule overruns and cost blowouts.
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