China now operates 60 nuclear reactors generating 58.7 GW of power, with another 36 units under construction. That construction pipeline alone represents more than 49% of all reactors being built worldwide. The US, meanwhile, still leads in total nuclear electricity generation at roughly 823 TWh annually versus China’s 451 TWh, but the trajectory couldn’t be more different.
The US has somewhere between 97 and 102 GW of installed nuclear capacity, but far more reactors are aging out than being built. China has nearly doubled its nuclear capacity since 2016 and is targeting 110 GW by 2030.
America’s nuclear growing pains
The Vogtle expansion in Georgia stands as the cautionary tale. The project was completed years behind schedule and at roughly twice the anticipated cost.
China has added approximately 3.3 GW of new nuclear capacity just since the beginning of 2025.
