US lags behind China in nuclear power by 15 years

"The U.S. lags China by as much as 15 years in high-tech nuclear power development because Beijing's state-backed technological approach and extensive financing give it an advantage," a report by the Washington-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) stated.

China has 27 nuclear reactors under construction, with an average construction time of about seven years, much faster than other countries. The U.S. has the world's largest fleet of nuclear power plants.

But after two major power plants in Georgia were launched in 2023 and 2024 with billions of dollars over budget and many years late, nuclear reactors are not being built in the US. A project to build a high-tech plant at a U.S. lab was canceled last year.