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Yes if you ignore all externalities the “economics” means that you can use Natural Gas “peaking” plants instead. But one of the main advantages of nuclear power is zero green-house gas emissions.

If fossil fuels were taxed appropriately, the economics of them wouldn’t be viable anymore. A modest tax of a $million USD per ton of CO2 would fix up that price discrepancy.

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frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Most of this is being driven by renewables. Natural gas gets mentioned because its price has dropped due to fracking, but it’s not a strictly necessary part of this argument, either. Water/wind/solar solutions have undercut even the plummet in natural gas prices.

Nuclear has no place. Nobody is building it, and it’s not because regulators are blocking it. It’s also completely unnecessary.

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- echodot@feddit.uk ⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  What do you mean nobody’s building it. Lots of countries are building it the UK’s literally just started construction on a new nuclear power plant at Hinckley.
  
  The situation that you believe exists in the world does in fact not exist.
  
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  - frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    en.wikipedia.org/…/Hinkley_Point_C_nuclear_power_…
    
    When construction began in March 2017 completion was expected in 2025. Since then the project has been subject to several delays, including some caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,[11] and Brexit, and this has resulted in significant budget overruns. In EDF’s 2022 annual results published on 17 February 2023, the cost was £31–32 billion in 2023 prices, Unit 1 had a start date of June 2027 and a risk of 15 months further delay.[12][13][14] In January 2024, EDF announced that it estimated that the final cost would be £31–35 billion (2015 prices, excluding interim interest), £41.6–47.9 billion in 2024 prices, with Unit 1 planned to become operational in 2029 to 2031.[15][16][17][3]
    
    You sure this is what you want to cite as a success? This story of cost and budget overruns is the norm in nuclear projects.
    
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    echodot@feddit.uk ⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Stop moving the goal post, your claim was no one was building nuclear power stations, clearly they are building nuclear power stations.
    
    In this entire thread, no one has ever made the claim that they were easy or quick to build.
    
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- BombOmOm@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  
  Nobody is building it
  
  France built the fuck out of it, 71% of their power is nuclear. Works darn well.
  
  it’s not because regulators are blocking it
  
  In the US, the over-regulation makes it too expensive. Every plant is bespoke instead of mass produced, with exchangable parts, personell, and knowledge.
  
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