Last Week in ConTech - 5 May 2025
How China is Building Nuclear Faster and Cheaper
Deep Insight: How China is Building Nuclear Faster and Cheaper
This week China again approved 10 new nuclear reactors.
The country now has 30 under construction with a goal of building 150 nuclear reactors between 2020 and 2035. The scale and scope of the program has allowed their supply chain to mature and their construction crews to gain experience in delivery. As a result, the total cost for the new reactors is expected to be $27 billion or $2.7 billion per reactor.
This cost profile stands in contrast to recent nuclear builds in the West, which have faced consistent delays and budget overruns.
A look at the last three projects:
USA: Vogtle 3 & 4
Final cost: $36.8 billion for two reactors (original estimate: $14 billion).
Construction began in 2009 and completed in 2024.France: Flamanville 3
Final cost: €13.3 billion (original estimate: €3.3 billion).
Construction began in 2007 and is expected to complete in 2024.UK: Hinkley Point C
Current cost estimate: £46 billion for two reactors (original estimate: £18 billion).
Construction began in 2016 and is expected to finish in 2031.
These projects aren’t directly comparable in scale or technology, but it is clear capital costs in the West are high. This matters as capital costs typically make up 60% or more of the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). This is the total lifetime cost to build and operate a plant, divided by the energy it produces.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) offer a potential path forward.
They can be built in 3 to 5 years, benefit from standardization and the learning curve that comes with repetition. As with China’s large-scale program, the more that are deployed, the more efficient the supply chain and labor force becomes.
SMRs are still in development, but at scale, they could offer a lower LCOE and become cost-competitive. Critically, they can provide reliable baseload energy from a low-emissions source.
In this issue there are:
9 Startup Fundings
1 Startup Out of Stealth
13 Policy and Regulatory Changes
8 New National Infrastructure Projects & Priorities
0 New investment funds
1 Acquisitions
5 News articles
25 new jobs posted - view here
Reading time: 11 min
Startup Funding
Procurement
Field Materials, a Californian startup, raised $10.5m in Series A funding. They provide an AI procurement platform which reads vendor quotes, delivery slips, and invoices to gather materials, units and quantities and automatically enters them into the major construction accounting systems. More here.
[View open jobs - 3 roles in Sales, 4 roles in Software]
Materials Market, a London startup, raised £2m in funding. They are developing a one stop marketplace for building materials utilizing a real time bidding system which enables suppliers to compete and driving savings for customers. More here.
[View open jobs - 1 role in Sales]
Green Materials
Queens Carbon, a New Jersey startup, raised $10m in Seed funding. They have developed a low carbon cement technology which uses steam and pressure to drive key chemical reactions at half the temperature required for conventional cement production. More here.
[View open jobs - 1 role in Other]
InventWood, a Maryland startup, raised $15m in Series A funding. They have developed technology which transforms wood into high performance fire and weather resistant building products which are stronger and lighter than steel with higher durability. More here.
Offsite Manufacturing
Villa, a San Francisco-based startup, has raised $40 million in funding. The company is building a homebuilding platform that uses offsite manufacturing methods to deliver affordable housing and is one of California’s largest builders of detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs). More here.
[View open jobs - 2 roles in Project Management, 1 role in Design, 1 role in Operations]
Notes:
Villa has developed a capital-light homebuilding model by partnering with third-party factories that manufacture homes to its designs and specifications.
The platform acts as a demand aggregation and fulfillment system, connecting customer interest with factory production capacity.
Villa handles the full process end to end from initial discovery and feasibility to permitting, installation, project management, and post-completion support.
This model avoids the need for large capital investment in factory infrastructure by utilizing third parties.
Robotics
Vividobots, an Indian startup, raised Seed funding. They have developed a robotic solution which is able to automate manually intensive and risky exterior painting and cleaning tasks. More here.
Home Services
Oscar, a Portuguese startup, raised €6m in Pre-Series A funding. They operate a home services marketplace app which connects technicians (plumbers, electricians etc) to users while offering fixed prices for over services. More here.
EDEN, a Seattle startup, raised $3.7m in funding. They help HVAC contractors generate instant, personalized quotes by pulling data such as home square footage, year built, equipment matches, and local rebates. More here.
Other
Near Space Labs, a Brooklyn startup, raised $20m in Series B funding. They are developing a high resolution earth imagery solution which uses aircraft raised on helium balloons and uses air currents to remain aloft enabling extended observation periods and finding traction in the urban planning and land use monitoring segments. More here.
Notes:
Stratospheric imagery sits between drones and satellites in terms of resolution, coverage, and cost.
Drones provide very high-resolution imagery, but are limited in range and can be expensive for covering large areas.
Satellites offer wide coverage, but may lack the resolution or revisit frequency needed for detailed, local analysis and can be expensive.
Stratospheric platforms use high-altitude balloon-lifted aircraft or gliders to capture imagery from the upper atmosphere allowing high resolution data over broad areas while remaining cost effective.
Out of Stealth
Oblix Tech, a Canadian startup, emerged from stealth. They have developed an AI powered construction project management platform which ingests site data to create digital representation of the project supporting planning, tracking and management. View the website here.
Policy and Regulatory Changes
US
White House declares goal to reach 1M new apprentices per year
The White House called out a shortage of construction and durable goods workers that is projected to persist and grow.
President Trump directed the secretaries of Labor, Education and Commerce to submit a plan within 120 days to “reach and surpass 1 million new active apprentices.
The requested plan must identify:
Avenues to expand registered apprenticeships to new industries,
Ways to scale apprenticeships across the country, and
Ways to improve connections between the education system and apprenticeship programs.
A Bold Move to Help Fix the Housing Crisis Just Happened in an Unexpected Place
Dallas is the first city in the country with a special set of rules for small apartment buildings.
These are those that are smaller than 7,500 square feet and have eight units or fewer.
The buildings are in short supply due to a gauntlet of restrictive land use laws.
The EPA is canceling almost 800 environmental justice grants, court filing reveals
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to cancel a total of 781 grants.
The canceled grants would have funded a range of projects aimed at helping communities cope with the worsening effects of climate change.
Examples include money to seal homes in Washington state against wildfire smoke and protect Alaska Native villages from coastal flooding, among other things.
Trump Just Permitted a Solar Farm
The Bureau of Land Management publicly confirmed that federal solar permitting can happen again.
They formally approved the Leeward Renewable’s Elisabeth solar project in Yuma County, Arizona.
Statewide Climate Adaption and Resilience Plan Launched
Governor Hochul announced the launch of the New York State Adaptation and Resilience Plan.
This will establish a statewide framework to align ongoing State climate adaptation planning and implementation efforts throughout New York communities.
The plan will create a collective vision, principles, planning resources and a gap analysis of existing State agency initiatives.
This includes a wide range of project types such as:
Shoreline restoration, the relocation of critical infrastructure to reduce flood risk, the relocation and raising of flood-prone roadways, and right-sizing dams, bridges and culverts.
Net zero by 2050? CT lawmakers try again on climate legislation
A plan to set Connecticut on a course toward achieving net zero carbon emissions throughout the economy by 2050 was approved.
The bill would strengthen the state’s existing carbon-reduction goals.
It will create a new “Clean Economy Council” to develop strategies and policies to help meet those targets.
Additionally it offers a variety of incentives and programs for solar canopies, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, heat pumps, green jobs and sustainability-focused businesses.
Governor Hochul Announces $60 Million in Environmental Bond Act Funding for Green Resiliency Grants
The program supports vital stormwater management and resilient infrastructure projects in flood-prone communities across New York State.
EU
EU sets duties on Chinese construction machinery
The European Commission has imposed extra duties on Chinese mobile access equipment (MAE) ranging from 20.6% to 66.7%.
The tariffs are the latest in a series of EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties focused on Chinese imports.
UK
What’s in the Construction Products Reform Green Paper?
The government’s proposals for construction products reform have been unveiled in its Construction Products Reform Green Paper.
It also poses 58 questions to industry stakeholders, with consultation responses due back by 21 May 2025.
Some key highlights:
Mirroring the EU change where the EU wants manufacturers to provide safety information on construction products and tell national authorities when a non-conforming product poses a risk to health and safety.
Establishing a general safety requirement, plus greater requirements for critical products.
The paper suggests a construction library for test results, mandatory information, fire safety reports and academic reports.
It mentioned digital labelling and digital product passports and traceability to allow for clear and accessible information.
Reviewing testing and conformity assessment with the government mentioning they believe there is an argument to expand public testing capacity.
UK amends law to permit hydrogen construction and farm machines on roads
The UK government has approved a change to road laws to allow hydrogen-fuelled construction and agricultural machinery to use public highways.
This will allow hydrogen-powered machines to drive on the road between sites and farms, providing operational parity with diesel alternatives.
Canada
Vancouver working on citywide plan to support electric vehicles
To meet state-mandated emissions reductions and clean fuel standards, as well as its own climate goals, Vancouver is developing an electric vehicle infrastructure strategy.
Last year, the state launched a $100 million program to build 575 new EV charging stations with 5,780 charging ports across the state.
The majority of the new ports are Level 2 chargers, which can take up to eight hours to reach a full charge.
According to the state Department of Commerce, Level 2 chargers cost $5,000 to $10,000 per unit while fast chargers cost $75,000 to $100,000 per unit.
Hong Kong
Tech fund boosts construction sector
The government says it's injected HK$2.2 billion into the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund (CITF) to promote innovative construction methods and technologies.
Its objectives include enhancing productivity, improving construction quality, increasing site safety and boosting environmental performance.
New Zealand
Builders and plumbers get the power to sign off their own work
The Government had agreed to an opt-in self-certification scheme, which would allow approved building firms, plumbers, and drainlayers to sign off their own work.
To be eligible for the scheme, a plumber or drainlayer would need to:
Demonstrate specific technical competencies
Have clocked up a minimum number of years of practical experience
Have a proven track record of complying with the building code and have adequate insurance.
Initially about 3000 homes would be built each year without delays from approvals or inspections.
BCAs will be freed up to focus on high-risk, complex builds.
Inspection targets will come into force later this year and legislation to enable the self-certification scheme will be introduced by the end of 2025.
National Infrastructure Projects & Priorities
US
U.S. Needs More Power for AI—but Critical Equipment Is Pricey and Scarce (WSJ)
About 28% of planned wind, solar and battery projects have been delayed or canceled.
Only about 10% of projects, or 12,000 megawatts, were delayed or canceled in 2022.
Wait times for turbines for natural-gas-fired power plants can stretch beyond three years.
Global energy giant RWE halts US offshore wind because of Trump
RWE, Germany’s biggest electricity producer, said in a speech transcript that its offshore wind business is now closed (but it wasn’t all bad news).
RWE holds the rights to develop US offshore wind projects in New York, Louisiana, and California.
RWE paid $1.1 billion for the New York lease area in 2022.
The developer paid $5.6 billion for the Louisiana lease in the Gulf of Mexico in 2023.
Woodside Gives Final Nod for $17.5 Billion US LNG Project
The approval clears construction of the Louisiana LNG plant, which is targeting its first shipment in 2029.
The development will see the company handling more than 5% of global supply in the 2030s.
China
China Approves 10 New Reactors in Nuclear Power Ramp-Up
It’s the fourth year in a row that China has approved at least 10 new reactors.
The 10 latest reactors are expected to cost a total of 200 billion yuan ($27 billion).
The nation has 30 under construction, nearly half the global total.
China’s nuclear capacity is expected to reach 65 gigawatts by the end of 2025.
By 2040, the country’s atomic fleet is expected to reach 200 gigawatts.
Notes:
China is paying $2.7b for each reactor.
In contracts, in the UK, two reactors under construction at Hinkley Point C are expected to cost a combined £47.9 billion ($63.7 billion).
A steady pipeline of projects means that supply chains can mature and construction crews can gain experience, reducing the chance of delays.
China Just Powered Up the World’s First Thorium Reactor — and Reloaded It Mid-Run
China is the first country to keep a nuclear reactor running while swapping out its radioactive fuel.
The reactor runs on thorium, a silvery metal that offers safer, cleaner, and more abundant nuclear energy with far less waste and no bomb-making potential.
These reactors are in theory safer and more stable and can run at atmospheric pressure.
It would mean thinner pipes, smaller containment structures, and far lower risk of catastrophic failure.
Notes:
This innovation could result in the deployment of new types of clean energy reactors.
A 10-megawatt version of the reactor is already under construction and slated for criticality by 2030.
It would be a new category of clean energy construction that China is building capability within.
Poland
U.S. companies sign deal to help bring nuclear energy to Poland
A consortium of U.S. companies Westinghouse Electric Co. and Bechtel signed an engineering development agreement with a state-owned Polish company.
They are committing to partner on the design and construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant.
It could ultimately accommodate a total of six [Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants] across two sites.
Big Tech
Google pours billions into AI, cyber and infrastructure expansion
Google reported capital expenditures of $17.2 billion, primarily in servers and data centers to support consumer and enterprise products, cloud services and AI research.
The company plans to increase capital expenditures by more than 40% to roughly $75 billion this year, compared to $52.5 billion in 2024.
Amazon Plans to Build Dozens of US Warehouses in Rural Expansion
The firm said it expects to have about 210 delivery stations up and running as part of a broad effort to establish a dedicated rural delivery network that began in 2020.
By the end of 2026, Amazon said, it will have invested $4 billion total in the project.
Acquisitions
Lumber, a workforce management solution for SMB construction contractors, acquired BuilderFax, a digital credential management platform for construction craft workers and will result in the integration of BuilderFax's specialized credential wallet technology to Lumber’s suite of tools. More here.
News
Empty Airports and Half-Finished Highways Plague India After Boom
‘Repowering’ era for America’s aging wind energy industry begins, despite Trump’s effort to kill it
The nation’s onshore wind industry is generating nearly 11% of America’s electricity.
There currently are about 1,500 onshore wind farms on which more than 75,600 turbines are spinning across 45 states.
Many are nearing the end of a 20-year lifecycle.
Vertical AI rollups - New business models, and can they work in AEC-tech? Pt. 1 (Foundamental)
The Next Frontier: Grid Software
This article provides an overview of the Colocation Model and its Market Implications.
Tackling Data Center Efficiency: Software in Operations & Maintenance
This article summarizes the key efficiency challenges and how software can help.
America Underestimates the Difficulty of Bringing Manufacturing Back
The article provides 14 reasons why these tariffs will not bring manufacturing back.
If I missed anything this week, please reply and let me know! I’ll make sure to include it next week.