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There has never been a nuke plant operated without subsidies, anywhere in the world, and probably never will be. In the US, taxpayers pick up the tab for disast
by ncmncm 4y ago
There has never been a nuke plant operated without subsidies, anywhere in the world, and probably never will be. In the US, taxpayers pick up the tab for disaster insurance because no private insurer is big enough. No reactor would be left enough to operate, paying the premiums on that policy.
By 2040, all the existing nukes will have been shut down, unable to deliver enough power at the spot price to continue operating. The less each sells, the more each kWh it delivers has cost. When shut down early, the cost of every kWh it ever delivered jumps up as construction cost is amortized over less lifetime output.
So, no, the only way to figure commercially competitive nuke power is by cooking the books.
- credit_guy 4y ago> and probably never will be I don't get it. If there will be one, are you going to be unhappy? Because you surely sound like you'd be unhappy.
- ncmncm 4y agoI mean the odds of somebody coming up with a nuke that can be operated purely on non-compulsory commercial power rates are slim to none. No one has ever even tried. Everyone promoting SMR relies heavily on continued massive subsidy to make it seem viable.
- ryoshu 4y agoWhat are the subsidies of nuclear compared to wind, solar, fossil fuels, etc. Do those subsidies include the cost of externalities like nuclear waste disposal/storage vs. pollution from fossil fuels or disposal of things like batteries for renewables? And costs for things like mining, building, etc. raw materials to get the various systems up and running, maintenance, etc. Honest questions. I haven't seen anyone run those numbers.