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Whether it's a net win or loss probably depends on where they were buying their nuclear fuel. E.g., from Russia? I don't imagine Taiwan has a lot of uranium m

Whether it's a net win or loss probably depends on where they were buying their nuclear fuel. E.g., from Russia? I don't imagine Taiwan has a lot of uranium mines. In the event of conflict with China, they can buy LNG from any number of sources, unlike uranium.

Jyaif 1y ago
There's lots of uranium producers (e.g. Australia, Canada)
chr1 1y ago
Fuel rods in nuclear reactor last 3-7 years giving high level of reliability in case of a blockade, while LNG storage is enough only for a few months in the best case.
- themaninthedark 1y ago
  They say 11 day storage....
- CamperBob2 1y ago
  Taiwan had one nuclear plant. That's like having zero backups of your data.
hangonhn 1y ago
You can also stock up a lot of fuel in a small amount of space for a long time with uranium. I can't imagine China striking a nuclear power plant since the radiation would spread over to large parts of China.
- CamperBob2 1y ago
  "I can't imagine" does a lot of heavy lifting these days. A couple of years ago I couldn't imagine Russian troops bivouacking at Chernobyl or attacking Zaporizhzhia with drone strikes. It is easy to call Putin a reckless dumbass and say that Xi is much more rational, but the two leaders have gone out of their way to put on a conspicuous show of friendship and shared interests.
  - godelski 1y ago
    I think you really misunderstand the situation in Ukraine and with PRC-Taiwan. I made a much more in-depth comment here that you may want to read. Both are still carefully maintaining a very specific image, though yes Putin is becoming more desperate, but that's resulting in Xi lowering support. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44032181 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44032181
- dh2022 1y ago
  Well, the same logic about nuclear radioactivity spreading on their own territory did not stop the Russians from shelling the Zaporojnya nuclear plant. Your mileage may vary…
matkoniecz 1y ago
In the event of conflict with China, LNG transport can be easily blockaded, unlike uranium. Uranium is also much easier to stockpile.

Jyaif 1y ago

There's lots of uranium producers (e.g. Australia, Canada)

chr1 1y ago

Fuel rods in nuclear reactor last 3-7 years giving high level of reliability in case of a blockade, while LNG storage is enough only for a few months in the best case.

themaninthedark 1y ago
They say 11 day storage....
CamperBob2 1y ago
Taiwan had one nuclear plant. That's like having zero backups of your data.

hangonhn 1y ago

You can also stock up a lot of fuel in a small amount of space for a long time with uranium. I can't imagine China striking a nuclear power plant since the radiation would spread over to large parts of China.

CamperBob2 1y ago
"I can't imagine" does a lot of heavy lifting these days. A couple of years ago I couldn't imagine Russian troops bivouacking at Chernobyl or attacking Zaporizhzhia with drone strikes. It is easy to call Putin a reckless dumbass and say that Xi is much more rational, but the two leaders have gone out of their way to put on a conspicuous show of friendship and shared interests.
- godelski 1y ago
  I think you really misunderstand the situation in Ukraine and with PRC-Taiwan. I made a much more in-depth comment here that you may want to read. Both are still carefully maintaining a very specific image, though yes Putin is becoming more desperate, but that's resulting in Xi lowering support. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44032181 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44032181
dh2022 1y ago
Well, the same logic about nuclear radioactivity spreading on their own territory did not stop the Russians from shelling the Zaporojnya nuclear plant. Your mileage may vary…

matkoniecz 1y ago

In the event of conflict with China, LNG transport can be easily blockaded, unlike uranium. Uranium is also much easier to stockpile.