Nuclear power is gaining momentum around the globe, but the industry’s path has diverged. China and India are rapidly expanding conventional reactor fleets, while the US and Europe are betting on smaller and more advanced designs to overcome decades of cost overruns and delays. Rising AI electricity demand, energy security concerns and decarbonization goals have all renewed interest in nuclear energy. But turning that momentum into new projects will depend on whether the industry can build reactors faster, more cheaply and with greater confidence than it has in recent decades. On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by joined by Stephanie Diaz, a senior associate from BloombergNEF’s technology and innovation team, and Chris Gadomski, BNEF’s head of nuclear research, to discuss their note “Nuclear Power Market Outlook 1H 2026: Approaches Diverge.”<br>Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com<br>Links to research notes from this episode:<br>Nuclear Power Market Outlook 1H 2026: Approaches Diverge - https://www.bnef.com/insights/39881<br>See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China Builds Nuclear Power While the West Reinvents It

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This is Tom Rowlands-Rees, and you're listening to Switched On, the podcast brought to you by Bloomberg NEF. Nuclear power is entering a new phase, but not everyone is taking the same path. In China and India, reactor construction is accelerating, backed by ambitious government plans and expanding domestic industries. In the US and Europe, meanwhile, the focus is less on how quickly to build nuclear and more on which technologies can overcome decades of cost overruns, delays, and investment uncertainty. That divergence is creating two very different nuclear stories.

China is rapidly expanding a fleet that could overtake the US within this decade, while India is pursuing one of the world's most ambitious long-term nuclear build-outs. At the same time, Western governments are betting that a new generation of smaller and more advanced reactors can succeed where conventional projects have struggled. The stakes are high. Rising electricity demand from AI and data centers, alongside concerns over energy security and decarbonization, have given nuclear renewed political and commercial momentum.

But turning that momentum into new projects will depend on whether the industry can build reactors faster, more cheaply, and with greater confidence than it has in recent decades. On today's show, I'm joined by Stephanie Diaz, a senior associate from BNEF's technology and innovation team, and Chris Godomsky, Bloomberg...

China Builds Nuclear Power While the West Reinvents It

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

China Builds Nuclear Power While the West Reinvents It

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.