>>512318493
>Sci-fi happening involving US-China competition.
The US currently has 1 (one) nuclear reactor under construction, the Kemmerer.
It has taken over a year already and is the first new reactor since 2013.
The Nuclear reactor on the Gerald Ford was ongoing from 2008-2019 (including a year to fix the problems with the reactor).

Russia alone makes more, not to mention China.
Pic rel are nuclear powerplants built or under construction in China (commercial only).
US meanwhile sits at 5 built and under construction between 2012 and today.
Russia sits at 6 (land based commercial only) + 16 naval (ice breakers and floating powerplant).

The problem the US has is that they simply lack enough skilled people to make the nuclear powerplant.
They make one land based reactor every 7 years? One naval reactor per decade?

It's ridiculous.
Just make a moon base with solar power, that's a good start.
It may be impossible though given how unimpressive their space station modules were...