Comment on Texas becomes leading test ground for small nuclear reactors
humanspiral@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
$120/watt is orders of magnitude worse than Vogtle’s $15+/watt. Salt designs of the 1960s were abandoned due to corrosion issues.
Aalo is pure BS for promising eventual 3c/kwh which would require 50c/watt installation costs. Again, salt (sodium coolant) based that requires material science (always expensive) to limit corrosion. SMRs are a new scam needed because old nuclear scam has worn out.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Idk about that. Consider the Linglong One (ACP100): Developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), it is the first SMR to pass an independent safety assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2016. Construction began in 2021, and the core module was installed in 2023.
Definitely a challenge of materials sciences, but to call it a scam? Come on. Coal sticking around as long as it has is the scam.
humanspiral@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
Linglong One (ACP100) generates up to 1twh/year. $23/mwh in operational costs. At $5.5/watt ($700m) it is very reasonable for nuclear. But all of this is China. 1/3rd materials/construction costs, 1/2 financing costs. Anti-corruption by design, local and national government support supervises/ensures results. In west, we just have politically bribed oligarchist subsidy programs.