China doubles nuclear capacity, poised to overtake U.S. by 2030

China’s nuclear fleet has grown from about 30 GW in 2016 to roughly 60 GW today, and the country plans to reach 110 GW of installed capacity by 2030. The expansion relies on standardized large‑scale pressurised water reactors such as the Hualong One and CAP series, which are built in five to six years at a cost of $2‑3 per watt.

In contrast, the United States has added only three new reactors since 1996, with two units at Georgia’s Vogtle plant taking more than a decade and costing about $15 per watt. The slow U.S. growth, high costs and regulatory delays leave the nation lagging behind China, whose rapid build‑out is driven by state‑backed financing, mandated grid purchases and rising electricity demand from AI data centres. The widening gap has implications for energy security, carbon‑free power supply and geopolitical competition between the two powers.