Re:Hinkley Point C nuclear plant to run £2.9bn over budget
by Accujack on Thursday September 26, 2019 @03:13PM
(#21084405)
The costs of old model reactors are high because the designs are the result of layering modern safety technology and practices on top of 1950s and 1960s era technology.
No one should be building any more of the older designs at this point, period.
The US also needs to revise the regulations governing reactor construction, because they're also centered around the old technology. The construction and operation of reactors was a very easy target for expanded regulation for many years from any politician who wanted to exploit the public's fear of nuclear, so reactors are very over regulated.
With newer/safer reactor designs and revised regulations to govern them, construction will be considerably cheaper.
However, there's no comparison between Solar/Wind and nuclear anyway, because they serve different needs, base load vs. peak load.
No one should be building any more of the older designs at this point, period.
The US also needs to revise the regulations governing reactor construction, because they're also centered around the old technology. The construction and operation of reactors was a very easy target for expanded regulation for many years from any politician who wanted to exploit the public's fear of nuclear, so reactors are very over regulated.
With newer/safer reactor designs and revised regulations to govern them, construction will be considerably cheaper.
However, there's no comparison between Solar/Wind and nuclear anyway, because they serve different needs, base load vs. peak load.