On June 8 local time, foreign media reported that nuclear energy developer Westinghouse Electric is in negotiations with the U.S. government and industry partners regarding the deployment of 10 large-scale nuclear reactors. Dan Sumner, interim CEO of Westinghouse Electric, stated, “The (Trump) executive order mentioned 10 large-scale nuclear reactors, and we believe all of them can be constructed using AP1000 reactors.” Investment bank TD Cowen indicated that, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Energy, building 10 large-scale nuclear reactors in the United States could cost $75 billion, excluding factors such as construction delays or cost overruns.
On July 15, Dan Sumner, interim CEO of Westinghouse, told U.S. President Donald Trump during a roundtable meeting in Pittsburgh that Westinghouse plans to build 10 large-scale nuclear reactors in the United States, with construction set to begin in 2030. According to Westinghouse, one of its AP1000 reactors can generate enough electricity to power over 750,000 households. Sumner said that building 10 such reactors would bring $75 billion (equivalent to 64 billion euros) in economic value to the United States and $6 billion to Westinghouse’s home state of Pennsylvania, specifically in Cranberry Township.
The Westinghouse executive presented this plan to Trump at an energy and artificial intelligence conference held at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. According to the office of Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick, who organized the conference, executives from the technology, energy, and financial industries announced at the meeting that they would invest over $90 billion in data centers and power infrastructure. Also at the event, Constellation Energy announced that due to a $2.4 billion investment to upgrade two units at the Limerick Nuclear Power Plant in Montgomery County, eastern Pennsylvania, the company will create 3,000 jobs annually. As a result, Pennsylvania will gain an additional 340 megawatts of electricity capacity.
Westinghouse quoted Sumner on social media as saying that in accordance with Trump’s recent executive order, the company is calling for cooperation with nuclear industry firms to mobilize a plan to deliver 10 AP1000 reactors in the United States, with construction starting in 2030. Sumner said: “When we deploy a fleet of nuclear power units in line with your (Trump’s) vision, we will create $75 billion in economic value across the United States, with $6 billion in Pennsylvania. Realizing your vision will create or sustain over 55,000 jobs nationwide, and more than 15,000 jobs in Pennsylvania alone – these are significant jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and construction.”
Trump has called for the United States to build 10 large-scale nuclear reactors by 2030 and also ordered a “comprehensive revision” of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s rules and guidelines. Over the past 30 years, only two new nuclear reactors have been built in the United States, both of which are AP1000 reactors constructed by Westinghouse in Vogtle, Waynesboro, Georgia. The project exceeded its budget by $18 billion and was 7 years behind schedule, leading to Westinghouse’s bankruptcy. The second of the two units at Vogtle began commercial operation in April 2024.
Also this week, Westinghouse announced a partnership with Google to use artificial intelligence tools to make the construction of AP1000 reactors an “efficient and repeatable process.”
