3 ms·
> Such project needs a LOT of money just to start, and that will take YEARS to be finished. But the success of this project depends on variables that are extrem
by thworp 4y ago
> Such project needs a LOT of money just to start, and that will take YEARS to be finished. But the success of this project depends on variables that are extremely hard to predict: [...]
You could say the same thing about chip fabs or large mines. I'd say chip fabs face even more uncertainty. While baseload electricity will always be in demand, in the chip industry your 3 billion $ fab could be completed at the bottom end of boom-bust cycle and lead you into bankruptcy.
- cauch 4y agoAnd? My point is not that nuclear plants are unique, and that no other industry shares some similarities, my point is that nuclear plants are a risky investment, and that it explains why the investment does not simply increased when the oil starts to be a problem, especially if there are strong competitors like renewables (they also have their problems, but they are competitive: their problems are not bigger than the ones of the nuclear). If fact, I could even have started my paragraph with "like chip fabs or large mines ..." without changing anything to the point I was making. That being said, I still think that even for chip fabs, small bits of a failed chip fab can still be resold more easily in order to compensate part of the loss. Same for mines: I'm sure there are uncertainties, but mines do not accumulate all the disadvantages of a nuclear power plant.