China Surges Ahead in Nuclear Energy Race with Large-Scale Reactors

China's aggressive nuclear expansion demonstrates a fundamentally different approach to meeting global energy demand compared to the US focus on smaller, innovative reactors. While China has rapidly doubled its nuclear capacity since 2016 with gigawatt-scale plants, the US prioritizes microreactors that promise lower costs and modular deployment. This strategic divergence raises a critical question: which approach—rapid scaling through massive reactors or innovation-driven modularity—will prove more effective in delivering clean energy to the grid at scale.