In a First, Solar Was Europe's Biggest Source of Power Last Month

Re:In a First, Solar Was Europe's Biggest Source of Power La... by Nasrudith on Saturday July 12, 2025 @07:29PM (#44546117)

Nuclear plants and their cooling towers tend to be made of reinforced concrete. That makes them harder to bomb. If you want to take out power you bomb the transmission or substations instead as they are far less durable.

I recall hearing in school that 9-11 masterminds had considered planes against nuclear power plants but abandoned it after doing the math and realizing that it would do little damage. Not sure how true that is admittedly.

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Re:In a First, Solar Was Europe's Biggest Source of Power La... by spauldo on Sunday July 13, 2025 @07:41PM (#44554826)

Depends what you're trying to protect yourself from.

Reinforced concrete is great if they're just shelling you. Sure, all the outdoor infrastructure will be toast but your reactor probably won't get damaged. It'll take a bit to get back on the grid but you don't need to rebuild the plant.

Bunker busters, on the other hand, eat reinforced concrete for breakfast. A pinpoint strike into each reactor hall and you're down for good.

The former is cheaper, less risky for the attacker, and hurts you bad enough for most military purposes, so the latter isn't really worth worrying about unless you're Iran or North Korea.

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