Sure, the NRC is not approving new reactor designs, and this is a real problem. One of the quoted articles cites the cost decline in South Korean nuclear as the

Sure, the NRC is not approving new reactor designs, and this is a real problem. One of the quoted articles cites the cost decline in South Korean nuclear as the example that regulations matter. Missing is the context that nuclear power in SK has been moving in the opposite direction in cost in the past 15 years - quickly. Nuclear projects all around the world are over budget and behind schedule; the subsidies required to get them built keep increasing. Even China hasn't started construction of a new commercial reactor since 2016. The costs of GenIII+ designs just seem uncontrollable. I certainly do hope that GenIV designs can address these costs and trends - and an awful regulatory environment certainly makes this tough - but I have a hard time seeing how the costs can come down enough to make nuclear economically feasible beyond particular niches.