2 ms·
Cherry picking one plant does not represent overall trends: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/02/05/if-saving-the-climate-requires-making-e
by manfredo 7y ago
Cherry picking one plant does not represent overall trends: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/02/05/if-saving-the-climate-requires-making-energy-so-expensive-why-is-french-electricity-so-cheap/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/02/05...
The reason why new plants are more expensive is that they're often not part of serial production runs. When France put big investment in nuclear and built 170 reactors mostly of 6 specific designs, the per unit cost was much lower. Newer reactors are usually unique or part of only a single digit production run.
- philipkglass 7y agoThe EPR was supposed to be the next standardized French design, produced in significant numbers and at low cost. The costs and delays have been so bad with the first few of them that I don't know if it will ever really take off. So we're back to the question: do you keep pushing forward with more EPRs? How do you keep pushing forward with EPRs if there is a credibility gap on cost and schedule predictions? Or if you choose to standardize on a different reactor than the EPR, how do you estimate its cost and construction schedule?
- manfredo 7y agoIf there is demand that needs to be met, then just use the existing reactor designs. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.