L4sBotAug 1, 2023

First U.S. nuclear reactor built from scratch in decades enters commercial operation in Georgia

https://lemmy.world/post/2453062

First U.S. nuclear reactor built from scratch in decades enters commercial operation in Georgia - Lemmy.world

First U.S. nuclear reactor built from scratch in decades enters commercial operation in Georgia::ATLANTA — A new reactor at a nuclear power plant in Georgia has entered commercial operation, becoming the first new American reactor built from scratch in decades.

Show threadGiddyAug 1, 2023

14 years and 35 billion (combined with #4 which has not been finished) and didn’t generate a single kWh in anger until now. Put the same investment into renewables and it would generate similar or greater energy and would start doing so within a year.

The argument against nuclear now is not about safety. It is about money. Nuclear simply cannot compete without massive subsidies.

Show threadtaraAug 1, 2023
There’s also a reliability element too. Nuclear can reliably output a given amount of energy, at the cost of being slow to alter. Many renewable sources have sporadic amounts of power throughout each day. Either is better than fossil fuels at least.
Show threadGiddy
Good point but that is not insurmountable. There are many ways to achieve predictability (batteries, hydro, tidal) that also come on stream much quicker than any nuclear plant.
Aug 1, 2023 at 8:55amWeb
Show threadtaraAug 1, 2023
Ah I’d not consider these! That gives some hope too then :) I hope we get the battery advances we need asap, the urgency from the climate crisis is strong lately.