The United States is planning a radical overhaul of its energy sector, aiming to quadruple nuclear power capacity by 2050. The ambitious goal, signed into an executive order by Donald Trump in May 2025, would increase installed capacity from 97 GW to 400 GW, pushing nuclear’s share of electricity generation from 18% to 48%.
The Polish Economic Institute (PIE) has analyzed these plans in its latest economic weekly, highlighting the staggering scale of investment needed. According to the consulting firm Keylogic, achieving this target would require annual spending of between $69 billion and $99 billion, meaning the entire project would run into the trillions of dollars by mid-century. For comparison, the U.S. produced 784 TWh from nuclear power in 2025, and the target for 2050 would require a massive expansion of the reactor fleet.
The U.S. government has already provided initial support, but it is not direct funding. The Department of Energy (DOE) awarded conditional loan guarantees worth $17.5 billion to a group of energy companies and Westinghouse, the reactor supplier. The funds are intended to purchase long lead items for 10 AP1000 reactors – the same model planned for Poland’s first nuclear plant in Choczewo – across five locations. This mechanism is expected to accelerate project timelines by two to three years.
Ai drives demand, but aging reactors pose a challenge
A key driver of the nuclear renaissance is the surging electricity demand from data centers and server farms, fueled by artificial intelligence. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that servers alone could consume between 446 TWh and 818 TWh annually by 2050. To put that in perspective, Poland’s total annual electricity consumption is around 170 TWh. The hunger for clean, baseload power is providing a strong market incentive for new nuclear plants.
However, the existing fleet is aging. The average age of U.S. reactors is 45 years, and by 2050, 89 units will be 60 years or older. Extending their operating licenses will require significant repairs and modernization. Without these upgrades, the capacity base could shrink even as new plants are built, undermining the overall goal.
Fuel supply and the russian dependency
Another major obstacle is access to nuclear fuel. The U.S. currently controls only about 10% of global uranium enrichment capacity. Moreover, as recently as 2023, 27% of these enrichment services were supplied by Russia. To ensure fuel supply for an additional 300 GW of capacity, McKinsey estimates that the U.S. must invest between $105 billion and $170 billion in new enrichment and fuel fabrication infrastructure. Without this, the entire plan risks being grounded.
Despite these hurdles, the Trump administration’s push for nuclear is part of a broader strategy to secure energy independence and meet the needs of a digital economy. The success of this trillion-dollar gamble depends not only on building reactors but on rebuilding a domestic fuel supply chain and managing the retirement of the old guard.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. EPA / SAMUEL CORUM / POOL / PAP
