A new report out this week by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation finds the U.S. is as many as 15 years behind China on developing high-tech nuclear power. According to the report, China’s state-backed technology approach and extensive financing has given Beijing an edge. The study found China has 27 nuclear reactors under construction with average construction timelines of about seven years, far faster than other countries.
The U.S. has the world's largest fleet of nuclear power plants but after two plants that were delayed and over-budget came online in the last year or so, no U.S. nuclear reactors are being built. This week, the U.S. Senate passed a package aimed at bolstering the nation’s nuclear power sector. The bill is awaiting the president’s signature.
If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Sharon Ann Squassoni, research professor of international affairs at the George Washington University. Squassoni has specialized in nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, nuclear arms control, nuclear security policy and nuclear nonproliferation for three decades, serving in the U.S. government at the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the State Department, and the Congressional Research Service.
If you would like to speak with Prof. Squassoni, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
-GW-
