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Europe is learning (or not learning it?) the hard way... https://twitter.com/DolanGeraldine/status/1564392353300889603 https://twitter.com/DolanGeraldine/statu

Europe is learning (or not learning it?) the hard way... https://twitter.com/DolanGeraldine/status/1564392353300889603 https://twitter.com/DolanGeraldine/status/156439235330088960... Their choices are to start building reactors now, suck it up and remove sanctions against Russian energy or massive de-industrialization and back to the dark ages.

epistasis 4y ago
Reactors could not be built in time, and nuclear reactors can not be built at sufficient scale to solve the problem. The only way to survive is massive wind, solar, storage, and transmission. France could have led the way, but when they started building Flamanville last decade, they discovered that they nuclear doesn't really fit modern economies that well. And with half their reactors offline for extended repairs right now, France has been a big part of Europe's energy crunch. Macron has only proposed up to 14 new reactors, and there's no way they will come online before 2040. Nuclear is a solution from the past, we need to build for the future.
- cpursley 4y ago
  Well, at least the Hungarians aren't dumb (i.e., know basic math). They're planning a few more reactors. Guess everyone else can huddle around the ikea furnature fires...
  - epistasis 4y ago
    I would suggest that the French also know basic math. It is great that Hungary has been able to build a reactor, but they will need a lot more, and it would also be good if they could share some of that construction knowledge with their neighbors, or even build for them.
    - cpursley 4y ago
      That would be the Russians: https://balkangreenenergynews.com/hungary-to-build-paks-ii-nuclear-power-plant-with-russia/ https://balkangreenenergynews.com/hungary-to-build-paks-ii-n... Ironically, Russian reactors would reduce dependence on Russian gas. That kindof hurts my brain.
      - epistasis 4y ago
        Oops, for some reason I thought Hungary had their own design and supply chains... That leaves China and South Korea as the only groups left with know how. And China is probably out for similar reasons. South Korea has had a few corruption issues but maybe they have fixed those. I still have questions about whether advanced economies should be generating power from giant, complex construction projects when their manufacturing productivity is so massively dominant over construction prductivity. But I would love to be proven wrong about advanced economies' ability to build nuclear economically.
        cpursley 4y ago
        Fair points. One is under construction in my home state of Georgia, USA and there's all sorts of price overruns.
        konart 4y ago
        >That leaves China and South Korea as the only groups left with know how. South Korea just singed a deal with Russia. They are going to build nuclear plant for Egypt: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220828-russia-south-korea-sign-2-2bn-deal-to-build-egypts-first-nuclear-plant/ https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220828-russia-south-kore...

epistasis 4y ago

Reactors could not be built in time, and nuclear reactors can not be built at sufficient scale to solve the problem. The only way to survive is massive wind, solar, storage, and transmission. France could have led the way, but when they started building Flamanville last decade, they discovered that they nuclear doesn't really fit modern economies that well. And with half their reactors offline for extended repairs right now, France has been a big part of Europe's energy crunch. Macron has only proposed up to 14 new reactors, and there's no way they will come online before 2040. Nuclear is a solution from the past, we need to build for the future.

cpursley 4y ago
Well, at least the Hungarians aren't dumb (i.e., know basic math). They're planning a few more reactors. Guess everyone else can huddle around the ikea furnature fires...
- epistasis 4y ago
  I would suggest that the French also know basic math. It is great that Hungary has been able to build a reactor, but they will need a lot more, and it would also be good if they could share some of that construction knowledge with their neighbors, or even build for them.
  - cpursley 4y ago
    That would be the Russians: https://balkangreenenergynews.com/hungary-to-build-paks-ii-nuclear-power-plant-with-russia/ https://balkangreenenergynews.com/hungary-to-build-paks-ii-n... Ironically, Russian reactors would reduce dependence on Russian gas. That kindof hurts my brain.
    - epistasis 4y ago
      Oops, for some reason I thought Hungary had their own design and supply chains... That leaves China and South Korea as the only groups left with know how. And China is probably out for similar reasons. South Korea has had a few corruption issues but maybe they have fixed those. I still have questions about whether advanced economies should be generating power from giant, complex construction projects when their manufacturing productivity is so massively dominant over construction prductivity. But I would love to be proven wrong about advanced economies' ability to build nuclear economically.
      - cpursley 4y ago
        Fair points. One is under construction in my home state of Georgia, USA and there's all sorts of price overruns.
      - konart 4y ago
        >That leaves China and South Korea as the only groups left with know how. South Korea just singed a deal with Russia. They are going to build nuclear plant for Egypt: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220828-russia-south-korea-sign-2-2bn-deal-to-build-egypts-first-nuclear-plant/ https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220828-russia-south-kore...