China is rapidly cornering the market on nuclear power, building reactors at a pace that is stunning Western nations while leaving the U.S. looking befuddled.
According to The New York Times, China has nearly as many reactors under construction as the rest of the world combined. It's on track to surpass U.S. nuclear capacity by 2030. The contrast is stark. While the first new U.S. reactors in a generation became a $17 billion punchline after being seven years late, China built 13 similar reactors in that same time frame.
How? A report from The Breakthrough Institute notes that nearly every Chinese project since 2010 has been built in seven years or less. This shatters the myth that reactors must take a decade. As consultant David Fishman told the Times, "China is practiced at building really big things... and those project management skills are transferable."
This matters because nuclear fission, the current standard, is a complicated tool. Think of it like a controlled demolition: It splits heavy atoms to release massive amounts of energy. This can produce huge amounts of low-carbon electricity 24/7, but it also creates long-lasting radioactive waste and carries safety risks.
The real prize is fusion, the "holy grail" of energy. This is the Iron Man arc reactor of energy. It smashes two tiny nuclei together to make one, releasing nearly unlimited power, just like the sun. This could one day slash utility bills. A fusion plant, for example, would need only 250 kilograms of fuel a year, while a coal plant needs nearly 3 million tons.
China is already moving on this. One Chinese fusion facility just installed a massive 400-ton component, speeding toward its 2027 goal.
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The U.S. is innovating, too. One firm, Oklo, formerly chaired by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is building America's first privately funded nuclear fuel recycling center to turn old waste into new fuel for advanced microreactors.
Other researchers are developing more efficient fuel rods that last longer and create less waste. These clean energy advances are key to curbing air pollution, which research shows could prevent millions of premature deaths by improving human health.
"The Chinese are moving very, very fast," said Mark Hibbs, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
On a personal level, you can take advantage of nuclear fusion through solar panels, which capture energy from the fusion reaction in the sun. Check out TCD's Solar Explorer for connections with trusted companies that can help you save around $10,000 on an installation over less established competition.
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