The US nuclear industry has called for federal support from new energy secretary Chris Wright, warning that the country’s supply chain has atrophied and “China is running circles around us in new builds”.

In an open letter to Wright, American Nuclear Society chief executive officer Craig Piercy said Russia has the best “zero money down” offer on nuclear reactors in the world “and they’ll even take back your used nuclear fuel”.

Piercy said: “Both nations have made civil nuclear exports a core pillar of their foreign policies. It’s time for the US to do the same.”

According to Piercy, the US is on track to have several first-of-a-kind advanced reactors operational in the 2030s, but nobody knows for sure if operating prototypes will be enough to kickstart a full-on commercial build-out.