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The idea of nuclear power is good. The facts of nuclear power are much less good. It is not too much to ask that lifecycle costs and safety get addressed. For example, the French success with nuclear power looks much less successful due to decommissioning costs coming in at a multiple of estimated costs. The French low-balled their estimates, to be a fraction of estimates by Germany and UK. Which estimates do you believe?


French politicians voted in 2015 to shut off all planned new nuclear investment in favor of transitioning to “renewables”

It was political incompetence that led to the French plants needing to have their lives extended MUCH BEYOND their expected lifetimes.


Perhaps the latest attempt to construct a new nuclear plant in France has something to do with it?

Construction on a new reactor, Flamanville 3, began on 4 December 2007.[4] The new unit is an Areva European Pressurized Reactor type and is planned to have a nameplate capacity of 1,650 MWe. EDF estimated the cost at €3.3 billion[4] and stated it would start commercial operations in 2012, after construction lasting 54 months.[5] The latest cost estimate (July 2020) is at €19.1 billion, with commissioning planned tentatively at the end of 2022.

Oh wait, that was what Wikipedia said a year ago! Now it continues:

In January 2022, more delays were announced, with fuel loading continuing until mid-2023.[4][5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamanville_Nuclear_Power_Plan...

Perhaps if we account for an additional unexpected half year of delay for every year that passes, we might see it in operation in Spring 2024?


Respectfully, it is because of the uncertainty in project approvals and financing to a large part.

In 2015, lawmakers made it mandatory to reduce Nuclear energy to 50% of existing installed capacity. So, pretty much all changes of mind post that point mean that previously shelved projects are re planned with FROM scratch with the new market rates.




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