France is also smaller than Texas and has a much larger economy with twice as many people. And France was rebuilding alot of its infrastructure from WWII which

France is also smaller than Texas and has a much larger economy with twice as many people. And France was rebuilding alot of its infrastructure from WWII which gave it an advantage in terms of cost compared to the situation the U.S. was in at that time. The U.S. is much more spread out and geographically diverse than any of the examples you've given and there is no "one size fits all" solution for that reason. Nuclear power is good for dense populations, but it is much less cost effective for low density places which includes half or more of the US geographic area. Which means you're left with subsidies specifically for nuclear plants in those areas, or something like a carbon tax to make them competitive, which would also benefit solar and other alternatives that are a better fit to begin with.