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The Trump administration is stepping up efforts to revive the U.S. nuclear industry, announcing a government-investment plan worth more than $80 billion to purchase reactors from Westinghouse Electric Co.

The initiative mirrors recent federal strategies used to support sectors such as semiconductors, steel, and mining, and aims to overcome long-standing financing hurdles that have slowed domestic reactor development.

Under the agreement, the U.S. government will act as the initial buyer for multiple Westinghouse reactors, according to Simon Maine, spokesperson for Brookfield Asset Management, one of Westinghouse's owners. The arrangement includes potential future profit-sharing and could give the U.S. up to an 8% equity stake in Westinghouse if conditions are met.

The funding partly stems from a broader $330 billion investment pact with Japan, announced the same day, to expand U.S. energy infrastructure.

Analysts say the move could help stabilize the nuclear sector, which has faced decades of cost overruns and project delays. "The Trump administration is serious about nuclear," said Tim Fox, analyst at ClearView Energy Partners.

The last new U.S. nuclear plant--completed in Georgia in 2023--was finished seven years behind schedule and billions over budget, while a similar South Carolina project was abandoned in 2017 after costs ballooned past $20 billion. Despite these setbacks, rising energy demand driven by artificial intelligence and clean power goals has renewed interest in nuclear generation.

Source: yahoo.com