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1.6GW is a pretty standard install in nuclear. For scale the largest nuclear install Kori is the current largest in operation at 7.4GWe installed capacity[2]. I

1.6GW is a pretty standard install in nuclear. For scale the largest nuclear install Kori is the current largest in operation at 7.4GWe installed capacity[2]. It achieved 74+% capacity last year which is an important point missed when looking at energy _delivered_ to the grid. By contrast US plants achieve much higher capacity factors, with Diablo Canyon in California producing 2.2 GWe at a _lifetime_ operation capacity factor of 90+%[1]. Scaling up nuclear, at high reliability is not such a stretch as some other energy scaling problems. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_Canyon_Power_Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_Canyon_Power_Plant [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kori_Nuclear_Power_Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kori_Nuclear_Power_Plant

acidburnNSA 5y ago
1.6 GWe is huge for a single nuclear reactor. EPRs are on the high end. Most nuclear reactors are closer to 1 GWe. Nuclear plants with multiple reactors on a site certainly do often go well above 1.6.
- throwaway473825 5y ago
  > EPRs are on the high end. This is an understatement. The three largest nuclear power reactors in the world (Taishan 1, Taishan 2 and Olkiluoto 3) are all EPRs.
  - bigbugbag 5y ago
    Taishan 1 has been shut down last summer due to what seems to be a design fault and may not be restarted. It is feared that all other current EPR suffer the same design mistake, but there are currently no plan to stop them.
    - pfdietz 5y ago
      China is not going to build any more EPRs. They are going with their home grown LWR design.
      - bigbugbag 5y ago
        From I understand, China's foray in EPR was simply a move to leech the technology from France to improve their own ability to build nuclear plants. A few people were vocal about this before it happened, and things did not go well for them. The Maureen Kearney case is simply unbelievable, this woman was working for Areva and blowing the whistle hard on this transfer of technology, after receiving threat she was found tied up in her bedroom, a letter A engraved in her abdomen, with a kitchen knife handle inserted in her genitals. The police decided she probably did that to herself and jailed her, while the state attorney prosecuted her. And she was sentenced to prison time and a hefty fine. it took a while before the sentence was overturned and for the truth to come out that she had not faked anything. In the end, what she was warning actually happened, France is no better and even worse in its ability to build nuclear plants with no actual plant put in service (ITER is a mess, Flamanville EPR is plagued), while China started both Taishan EPR reactors and is now able to sell its ability to build plants to other countries.
roenxi 5y ago
FYI; looks like your early comments attracted too many downvotes and your account was automatically shadowbanned.

acidburnNSA 5y ago

1.6 GWe is huge for a single nuclear reactor. EPRs are on the high end. Most nuclear reactors are closer to 1 GWe. Nuclear plants with multiple reactors on a site certainly do often go well above 1.6.

throwaway473825 5y ago
> EPRs are on the high end. This is an understatement. The three largest nuclear power reactors in the world (Taishan 1, Taishan 2 and Olkiluoto 3) are all EPRs.
- bigbugbag 5y ago
  Taishan 1 has been shut down last summer due to what seems to be a design fault and may not be restarted. It is feared that all other current EPR suffer the same design mistake, but there are currently no plan to stop them.
  - pfdietz 5y ago
    China is not going to build any more EPRs. They are going with their home grown LWR design.
    - bigbugbag 5y ago
      From I understand, China's foray in EPR was simply a move to leech the technology from France to improve their own ability to build nuclear plants. A few people were vocal about this before it happened, and things did not go well for them. The Maureen Kearney case is simply unbelievable, this woman was working for Areva and blowing the whistle hard on this transfer of technology, after receiving threat she was found tied up in her bedroom, a letter A engraved in her abdomen, with a kitchen knife handle inserted in her genitals. The police decided she probably did that to herself and jailed her, while the state attorney prosecuted her. And she was sentenced to prison time and a hefty fine. it took a while before the sentence was overturned and for the truth to come out that she had not faked anything. In the end, what she was warning actually happened, France is no better and even worse in its ability to build nuclear plants with no actual plant put in service (ITER is a mess, Flamanville EPR is plagued), while China started both Taishan EPR reactors and is now able to sell its ability to build plants to other countries.

roenxi 5y ago

FYI; looks like your early comments attracted too many downvotes and your account was automatically shadowbanned.