America's first big offshore wind farm sets record low price

Re:America's first big offshore wind farm sets record low price by alkonaut on Thursday August 09, 2018 @04:38PM (#17728255)

This depends. Mostly it depends on whether similar subsidies are included for other production methods.

Typically nuclear power operators have capped liability (e.g Price-Anderson in the US), or are simply assumed to be bankrupt in the event of a major incident, and taxpayers would need to pay the cleanup. This liability cap, and hence cap on insurance costs, is a subsidy.

So in short, it’s very hard to disconnect energy prices from various taxes and subsidies.

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Re:America's first big offshore wind farm sets record low price by godelski on Thursday August 09, 2018 @06:41PM (#17729188)

What? Isn't that liability $12b? Didn't 3 mile cost only $1b?

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Re:America's first big offshore wind farm sets record low price by alkonaut on Friday August 10, 2018 @01:36AM (#17730944)

Yes (although perhaps not inflation adjusted?).

And Fukushima $150b. So for a large incident the tax payers would carry the cost.

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Re:America's first big offshore wind farm sets record low price by godelski on Friday August 10, 2018 @11:24AM (#17734127)

I really think it shouldn't be a hard line. Large reactors should need higher insurance, small reactors should need lower. One of the things making small reactors more practical is the insurance cost. And since it is a hard line companies figure they might as well build the biggest they can. Seems to hurt everyone involved.

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