Westinghouse plans to build 10 large nuclear reactors in the U.S., with construction beginning by 2030, interim CEO Dan Sumner announced to President Trump during a Pittsburgh roundtable. The ambitious project would generate $75 billion in economic value nationwide and $6 billion specifically for Pennsylvania, marking a significant expansion of nuclear power infrastructure amid Trump’s push to quadruple U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050.
What you should know: Each AP1000 reactor generates enough electricity to power more than 750,000 homes, representing substantial clean energy capacity.
- The announcement came during a conference on energy and artificial intelligence at Carnegie Mellon University, where executives revealed over $90 billion in combined investments for data centers and power infrastructure.
- Sen. Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican, organized the event, highlighting the intersection of energy needs and AI development.
Why this matters: The U.S. has built only two new nuclear reactors in the past 30 years, both Westinghouse AP1000s at Plant Vogtle in Georgia.
- That project came in $18 billion over budget and seven years behind schedule, ultimately contributing to Westinghouse’s bankruptcy.
- Trump issued four executive orders in May aimed at quadrupling nuclear power by 2050, calling for 10 nuclear plants under construction and ordering a “wholesale revision” of Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules.
The big picture: Westinghouse emerged from bankruptcy in 2018 and is now owned by Cameco, a Canadian uranium miner, and Brookfield Asset Management.
- The company announced a partnership with Google on Tuesday to use AI tools to make AP1000 construction an “efficient, repeatable process.”
- This represents a strategic effort to address the cost overruns and delays that plagued previous nuclear projects.
Key details: The timeline aligns with Trump’s nuclear expansion goals, which call for significant regulatory reform to accelerate project approval and construction.
- The proposed reactors would substantially increase U.S. nuclear capacity, supporting both clean energy goals and the growing power demands of AI data centers.
- Pennsylvania stands to benefit significantly from the economic impact, with $6 billion in projected value creation within the state.
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