The global nuclear sector closed 2025 with a milestone: 2,702 TWh of electricity generated, 35 TWh more than the previous year. The figure is certified by the World Nuclear Association in its Outlook 2026. It marks a threshold the industry had never previously crossed — achieved while simultaneously accelerating on new construction projects, financing rounds, and advanced technologies.
The number does not stand alone. At the end of 2025, total installed nuclear capacity worldwide stood at 420 GW, spread across more than thirty countries. In 2025 alone, ten new construction projects broke ground — nine in China and one in Russia — representing 12.2 GW of new capacity. China is now the country setting the pace of global expansion: it is on track to surpass both the United States and Europe in installed capacity by 2030. Its first commercial onshore SMR, the Linglong One at 125 MW, was expected to enter operation in the first half of 2026, serving as the world’s first commercial demonstration of this technology at scale.
The United States is advancing on a parallel track, with multiple tools in play simultaneously. The Department of Energy provided $800 million in funding for two SMR projects: one led by TVA at the Clinch River site in Tennessee, and another tied to Holtec in Michigan. In May 2026, eight additional companies received $94 million to address specific gaps in the industrial supply chain. In June, the DoE announced funding for long-lead components to accelerate the construction of ten new large-scale commercial reactors. Then, on July 4, 2026, a concrete milestone was reached: four advanced reactors achieved criticality, surpassing the original target of three set by the presidential executive order. One of them is the Aalo-X by Aalo Atomics, tested at the Idaho National Laboratory.
In March 2026, the Department of Commerce had already signed a $40 billion energy partnership with Japan to deploy GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 reactors in Tennessee and Alabama. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is currently reviewing TVA’s construction permit application for a BWRX-300 reactor at Oak Ridge. The regulatory landscape has been streamlined through the Reactor Pilot Program, which creates a direct pathway between demonstration and commercial licensing.
Europe is not standing still. Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are progressing on contracts for new reactors. Global investment in the sector now stands at approximately $65 billion per year. If all announced commitments are honored, that figure could rise to $120 billion by 2030. Global operable nuclear capacity could reach 1,457 GWe by 2050, according to projections that account for life extensions of existing plants and planned new builds.
2026 is the year in which the promises of recent years are taking shape in steel and concrete. Reactors reaching criticality in the US, Linglong One ready to generate power, European construction sites advancing — the sector is no longer moving on paper alone. The energy demand from data centers and the mounting pressure of decarbonization are compressing timelines. Those who invested earlier now hold a structural advantage that will be difficult to close.
