US and China Discuss Reciprocal Nuclear Facility Visits

The United States and China are exploring the possibility of reciprocal visits to nuclear sites. This initiative, initially proposed by China, involves discussions about access to US Department of Energy national laboratories and comparable Chinese facilities. These talks have primarily occurred during meetings of the UN Security Council's five permanent members.

The United States intends to continue pursuing these discussions in upcoming meetings. The proposal for reciprocal visits follows recent calls by US President Donald Trump for trilateral arms control negotiations involving the US, China, and Russia, which were made during a meeting with President Xi Jinping last month.

Google and Oracle Agreements Support Long-Term US Nuclear Plant Operations

Google's Investment in Constellation Nuclear Fleet

Google and Constellation Energy have announced a 20-year power purchase agreement. This agreement will enable investments in new equipment and technology across 11 Constellation-owned nuclear units located in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. These improvements are expected to enhance thermal and electrical efficiency, adding 890 MW of new capacity to the PJM grid.

The collaboration is projected to sustain approximately 4,400 existing jobs and create about 7,200 new construction jobs during the building phase. Constellation anticipates over USD4.3 billion in new investment as a result. The 890 MW of incremental capacity is equivalent to the output of multiple small modular reactors or a large conventional reactor.

Additionally, Google and Constellation have a 15-year energy supply agreement for an extra 2,700 MW within PJM's fleet, aiming to provide revenue certainty for existing assets. The companies also plan to evaluate opportunities for new clean generation, storage, and demand response across the United States, with a focus on the PJM region. Constellation has chosen Google Cloud and Gemini Enterprise for an expanded five-year technology alliance, intending to use AI to reduce infrastructure costs, improve performance, and ensure grid stability.

Nuclear uprates, achieved through modernizing turbines, steam generators, and digital control systems, can deliver significant capacity gains without the extended timelines of new construction. This initiative aligns with the US government's UPRISE program, which seeks to maximize electricity output from existing nuclear infrastructure through public-private partnerships. The first uprate is expected by 2028.

Oracle's Commitment to Point Beach Nuclear Plant

Separately, Oracle announced a commitment to subscribe to a portion of the electricity generated by the Point Beach nuclear power plant. This plant, operated by NextEra Energy, consists of twin pressurized water reactor units near Two Rivers, Wisconsin, with commercial operations beginning in 1970 and 1973.

Oracle stated that this subscription, pending approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, will help mitigate rising energy costs for customers, reduce household electricity bills, and support the reliability of Wisconsin's power grid. Oracle's executive vice president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Mahesh Thiagarajan, noted that absorbing approximately USD300 million in energy costs will benefit over one million Wisconsin utility customers.

This commitment builds on Oracle's broader investment in Wisconsin, including its Project Lighthouse data center development in Port Washington. This project is expected to generate over USD11 billion for the local economy, create more than 4,000 construction jobs over three years, support 1,000 ongoing operations positions, and invest in local infrastructure. Oracle also plans to fully fund Project Lighthouse's energy costs to protect ratepayers and support grid reliability.

Broader Trend of Tech Company Investments

These announcements are part of a trend of power purchase agreements and investments in nuclear energy by technology companies and other end-users. These entities require reliable, 24/7 low-carbon power for operations such as data centers. Recent examples include Constellation's 20-year power purchase agreement with Amazon for the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant, Google's agreement to support uprates at Georgia Power's Vogtle and Hatch plants, and a long-term power purchase agreement with Finland's Fortum for the Loviisa nuclear power plant. An October 2025 agreement with Google also underpins the planned restart of NextEra Energy's Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Iowa.

Hualong One Projects in China Achieve Construction Milestones

Zhangzhou Plant Progress

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced the completion of the final concrete pour for the inner dome of Zhangzhou unit 3 on September 30. This milestone signifies the conclusion of civil engineering for the unit's inner containment structure, establishing a foundation for subsequent prestressed containment work and the installation of core nuclear equipment. The Hualong One reactor design incorporates a double-layered containment building, crucial for maintaining the integrity and leak tightness of the reactor building and containing radioactive materials.

Construction licenses for Zhangzhou units 1 and 2, both featuring Hualong One reactors, were issued in October 2019 to CNNC-Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Company. This company is a joint venture formed by CNNC (51%) and China Guodian Corporation (49%) in 2011. Construction of unit 1 began in October 2019, followed by unit 2 in September 2020. Unit 1 commenced commercial operation on January 1, 2025, and unit 2 on January 1, 2026.

In September 2022, China's State Council approved the construction of two additional Hualong One units, units 3 and 4, as Phase II of the Zhangzhou plant. Construction of unit 3 started in February 2024, with unit 4 beginning in September. The inner steel safety dome for unit 3's containment building was installed in early February 2026. The Zhangzhou plant is planned to eventually house six Hualong One units, which are projected to generate over 60 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually upon full completion.

Zhaoyuan Plant Developments

China General Nuclear (CGN) reported that the first phase of the Zhaoyuan plant, comprising units 1 and 2, has entered its peak civil construction period. Concrete pouring for the inner five layers and outer one layer of the reactor building for Zhaoyuan unit 1 has been completed, with internal wall panel construction progressing. For unit 2, the first concrete pour for the nuclear island, conventional island, and cooling tower has been achieved. Offshore engineering and the construction of onshore water intake and drainage pipelines are also advancing.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment formally accepted the environmental impact assessment documents for the Zhaoyuan plant's site selection in November 2022. Construction of Phase I was approved by China's State Council in August 2024. First concrete for unit 1 was poured in November 2025, and for unit 2 on September 5, 2026. The Zhaoyuan plant, with a total investment of approximately CNY120 billion (USD16.9 billion), is designed to house six Hualong One units. Each unit is expected to begin power generation 50-60 months after construction commences. The plant is projected to have a total installed capacity of 7.2 GWe and generate 50 TWh of electricity annually.

The Zhaoyuan plant project introduces the first application of secondary circulation large-scale seawater cooling systems at a nuclear power plant in China. Each unit will feature a 203-meter-high natural draft cooling tower with a 16,800 square meter water-spraying area, shifting the conventional island's cooling source from the ocean to the atmosphere.