Forgetting Fukushima

[Anomalocaris]

Nuclear energy as it stands is uneconomic.

We have massive government subsidies just for it.

And China now is using US-designed LFTR technology because old Big Nuclear doesn't want it.

They'd rather use shitty BWRs from Gen II still.

But please, go on, tell me about how "Nuclear energy is the future".

Good nuclear is for China, but it seems that "Nuclear" to the average turnip on this forum is what they see on The Simpsons.

Actually, all Chinese reactors hitherto built, planned or proposed are gen 2+ or gen 3 PWRs comparable to what TVA or Duke is currently building in USA

They are researching some interesting technologies like inert gas pebble bed high temperature reactors that can literally be smashed into smitherins and still hardly leak any radiation. They are ahead of the US on this technology, but that technology is many years away from commercial viability.

The economics of nuclear power in the US is interesting. The pricing mechanism of deregulated electricity sales, the added security requirement post 9-11 makes nuclear impossible to compete against cheap shale natural gas produced by fracking technology. Unless one has a forward view that says natural gas prices will rise substantially, or fracking technology will run into enormous regulatory hurdle, no one would start a brand new nuclear power plant in the US today.

But the same economics does not apply in china and India. There the lack of shale gas and gas distribution infrastructure, and the desire to rapidly reduce reliance on coal, makes nuclear competitive. The US for policy reasons does not really recycle spent nuclear fuel for reuse, so available fissile material in the us will be used up in 2 generations. But India and china have invested heavily to recycle and reuse spent nuclear fuel, giving both the temptation of having a domestic energy source that would last thousand sof years at projected usage.