Westinghouse claims a new fleet of 10 AP1000 reactors would add $1T to US GDP over an 80-year lifespan. (Pittsburgh Business Times)
Toward his goal to quadruple US nuclear capacity by 2050, President Donald Trump has commanded the DOE to build a fleet of large-scale reactors with an already certified design—AP1000s fit that order.
By the numbers: During the 13-year construction phase, the reactors could already deliver major benefits: $93B in GDP and ~44K jobs annually, for instance, according to a Westinghouse-commissioned PwC report. After going online, they’d yield enough baseload power for 7.5M homes.Â
Yes, but: The only two AP1000s built in the US so far cost a combined $35B—more than 2X original estimates. As for the next wave? The costs remain uncertain.