"Nuclear energy is never profitable", new study slams nuclear power business case

[jpak]

https://reneweconomy.com.au/nuclear-energy-is-never-profitable-new-study-slams-nuclear-power-business-case-49596/

A new study of the economics of nuclear power has found that nuclear power has never been financially viable, finding that most plants have been built while heavily subsidised by governments, and often motivated by military purposes, and is not a good approach to tackling climate change.

The study has come from DIW Berlin, a leading German economic think-tank, and found that after reviewing the trends in nuclear power plant construction since 1951, the average 1,000MW nuclear power plant would in an average economic loss of 4.8 billion euros ($7.7 billion AUD).

The report comes amid a hot debate over the future of nuclear power in both Germany and Australia.

The report published by the German Institute for Economic Research (known as DIW Berlin) reviewed the development of 674 nuclear power plants built since 1951, finding that none of the plants was built using ‘private capital under competitive conditions’.

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[SHRED]

1. How about insuring nuclear power plants?

I have read that without government backing they are un-insurable.

[cojoel]

4. We should repeal the Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price%E2%80%93Anderson_Nuclear_Industries_Indemnity_Act

I frequently use the argument that we should let nuclear energy "stand or fall on its own merits without government subsidy". Of course, it cannot stand on its own.

[progree]

2. I didn't know France was phasing nuclear out (I knew they were cutting back on it, but not this much

Well, on the other hand, the caption says, "given the scheduled shutdowns and end-of-life dates", so it doesn't count any new construction ...



They are having a terrible time with Flamanville e.g.

Flamanville reactor #3 (1600 MW), first new reactor built on French soil in about 20 years - original target date 2012, is now slated for 2020, and is more than a factor of 3 over the original budget, and is now $7,696 / KW per a 7/25/18 Reuters article

And in the U.K.

Hitachi Halts Nuclear Megaproject In The UK Oilprice.com, 1/21/19
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hitachi-halts-nuclear-megaproject-uk-200000447.html
Hitachi is walking away from $2.8 billion it invested. Looks like there will be no new nuclear in the UK, Government is not willing to provide the subsidies that are needed),

[Boomer]

3. Like hanging out red meat for a bear

You know a very very long rebuttal will be coming soon....

[NeoGreen]

6. Oh we all know it...(nt)

[progree]

7. Probably not - he hasn't posted in this group since May 10. Apparently too many "airheads" here

If there was a "goodbye" post, I missed it.

[Boomer]

8. That's surprising

We've been unresponsive airheads for years and years. I wonder what tipped the scale at long last?

[progree]

9. Dunno. All's I "know" is about a month and a half ago it occurred to me that I hadn't seen

him here for a while, so I did an Advanced Search to see his postings in this group. That's when I noticed that May 10 was his last posts here. I haven't looked at those or the previous days or two posts for any signs of extra exasperations ...

He's posting in the Science group -- the usual science papers like "Investigations of amorphous crystals saturated with z-rays under high-temperature conditions in a low-oxygen environment" that usually have inserted into it the usual comments about "so-called renewables" and bird-killers and airheads.

[progree]

10. Another reason he might not be commenting on this thread is because he probably can't see

it -- I believe he has jpak (the thread OP author) on ignore. if he does, then the entire thread is invisible to him.

I see he just added Gore1FL to his ignore list today (in a Democratic Primaries thread, with "airhead" in abundant use).

[NeoGreen]

5. Interesting tidbit...

...

While examining the history of nuclear power development globally, DIW Berlin found that it was military considerations that were the primary driver of nuclear reactor developments, with power generation a secondary product.

“The further development of nuclear weapons and other military applications was the focus. Nuclear power plants were primarily designed to be “plutonium factories with appended electricity production,” the DIW Berlin report said.