A Comparative Analysis of the Nuclear Energy Industries of France, China, and the United States

with William Wang,
Senior Intelligence Analyst, Office of Naval Intelligence

March 28, 2025, 10:10 am
6-051 VTRC, Arlington 
440 Goodwin Hall, Blacksburg

The three largest producers of nuclear energy in the world are the United States, China, and France.  The United States has long maintained its lead at the top, but its nuclear energy industry has suffered through a decades-long decline, partly due to lower cost energy solutions and due to changes in public sentiment towards nuclear power following the well-publicized accidents at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima.  However, the last few years have seen renewed global interest in nuclear energy, and there are incentives for maintaining an advanced civil nuclear infrastructure beyond energy production.  While increasing domestic energy demands and a desire to reduce the country’s carbon footprint has brought nuclear energy back to the forefront of conversation in the United States, the industry still faces challenges in controlling construction budgets and timelines, managing complex supply chains, and developing and retaining its workforce.  America’s inability to overcome these challenges means it could lose its place as a global leader of nuclear energy technology and production in the next twenty years.  This presentation will provide an overview on the extent to which the United States is losing ground in the nuclear energy race by examining how its nearest competitors, France and China, manage the issues that have long stymied the growth of the U.S. nuclear energy industry.

William Wang serves as a senior intelligence analyst in the Simulation Based Analysis, Testing, and Training (SIMBATT) division at the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI).  In this role, he and his team perform verification and validation of parametric models used to characterize adversary warfare capabilities, in support of acquisition decisions and fleet operations and planning.  Prior to this role, he served as a submarine platforms analyst within the Farragut Technical Analysis Center at ONI, with an analytic focus on naval nuclear propulsion programs worldwide.

Before joining ONI, William served in the U.S. Navy as submarine officer, completing his initial training at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) and the Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU) in Charleston, SC.  In 2009, he reported to Submarine Base New London to begin his junior officer tour onboard the USS New Hampshire (SSN-778).  During his tour, he completed two deployments to the North Atlantic as well as an ICEX to the Arctic Circle.  Upon completion of his sea tour, William reported to the Submarine Learning Center as an instructor for prospective submarine officers.  He left active-duty service in 2015 but continues to serve in the Navy Reserves as a commander supporting the Submarine Force Reserve Component (SFRC). 

William graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Corporate Finance.  He graduated from Virginia Tech in December 2024 with a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Nuclear Engineering.