Nuclear Waste Reprocessing Gains Momentum in the U.S.

Re:Nuclear Waste Reprocessing Gains Momentum in the U.S. by Matticus_Rex on Thursday July 10, 2025 @11:18AM (#44522005)

Politically, yes. Anything nuclear is easier said than done for political reasons.

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Re:Nuclear Waste Reprocessing Gains Momentum in the U.S. by pstuart on Friday July 11, 2025 @12:07PM (#44533825)

I'd like to see nuclear be (safely) viable, which to me means SMRs or go home.

Even SMRs can't compete on price along - current estimate (per the Goog):

SMRs: SMR LCOE range from $80-$90/MWh. Renewables: Solar and wind LCOE can range from $20-$50/MWh, with some estimates even lower.

Yes, having "guaranteed" output has value, but I'm of an age where I can remember the promise of "power too cheap to meter"

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Re:Nuclear Waste Reprocessing Gains Momentum in the U.S. by Matticus_Rex on Monday July 14, 2025 @10:36AM (#44560791)

Those cost estimates factor in ALARA and the LNT model assumptions, which drastically raise costs far beyond what's needed for safety. If the NRC dropped those and moved to a SNT dose-harm model, that drops costs radically.

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