I don't know man?

If you're familiar with dispatch stacks, you know that 3c/kw is REALLY attractive. Regulation or no regulation, I don't think you're gonna get down to 2c or 1c with a new nuclear plant.

Maybe I'm wrong, and one day someone will figure out how to build SUPER cheap nuclear plants?

But I doubt it.

Best I would think they could do is some sort of hybrid system that uses nuclear generation, and then storage via a conventional hydro storage system or something maybe? I'd have to do the math on that. But yeah... 2c? That's very hard to do.

Moltex is claiming they can get below $0.04/kWh (for N-th of a kind plants; FOAK would be a bit more expensive.)

They can claim this plausibly for two reasons: first, they can build a MUCH smaller containment building, due to lack of water or other volatiles in the nuclear island. Second, their design isolates the turbines from the nuclear island with a molten salt "thermal battery". This allows some dispatchability in their output, but more importantly it means turbine trips have no effect on reactor stability, which means non-nuclear-grade turbines can be used. This is apparently a very large cost savings.

Might be talking about European regulations. 15c per kw versus 3 in usa - thats 5x magnitude.

Doesnt suprise - gallon of gas in most european countries (sold by liters and funny thing - you first pump then pay!) is about 40% more than same amount in USA. it has been like this forever and doesnt look like will ever change.

I have doubts you’re going to be able to remove enough regulation to get nuclear near the same cost as storage backed renewables (which will continue to decline in cost each year even further).

Without storage, renewables are already close to or below 2 cents/kWh (unsubsidized). Can nuclear startups make generating units as fast as automated fabs can spit out solar panels?

A big argument I have heard in support of nuclear is that it is good for maintaining some amount of base load. As I understand this is particularly important in the current scenario of renewable energy without good storage, since we can't necessarily maintain our energy requirements with solely other clean (relatively speaking) forms of energy.

The race will be to see who can win the day: modular commodity nuclear, or utility scale battery storage (Flow batteries, lithium ion/polymer, etc).

Presumably, both get cheaper as you make more, but anyone can make batteries and ship them around the world with little notice. Tesla’s Hornsdale Power Reserve system was built in 90 days. I don’t know of any nuclear plants that get built faster than 10 years.

> I don’t know of any nuclear plants that get built faster than 10 years.

And the Brits are demonstrating just how woefully optimistic costs, build quality, and schedules can be even with that kind of protracted delivery expectation :

https://jeremyleggett.net/2018/08/22/why-the-uk-nuclear-rena...

I like regulating things that are radioactive or can potentially go boom. Especially both.

[And yes, I know some designs are theoretically not able to melt/blow up]