Obama & Yucca Mountain

[The Minsky Moment]

The last admininstration streamlined the regulatory and application process and encouraged new plant projects.  So far Obama hasn't changed that policy.  But although there have been a bunch of applications, it is not clear that any of these projects will ever get off the ground.  Not because of Obama, or Yucca mountain, or Greenpeace fanatics.  Because it is just too expensive.

A current estimate is that a new nuclear plant would cost about $6 billion for 1000MW capacity, or about $6 million per megawatt.  This is not very economic compared to the alternatives - ideally you would want to see something in the $1-2 million range.  What makes it worse is that there is a long lag time between when the would be builder has to start spending the money and when the plant actually comes on line to earn income - so there is a huge financing burden and considerable financial risk involved. 

When you look at those countries that put heavy emphasis on nuclear power generation what you immediately notice is that they are either doing so through state-owned companies (like France) or providing heavy state subsidies (like Japan).  because of the economics, it is difficult to have a serious nuclear power industry anymore without heavy government subsidization.  So while I understand why Berkut or derspeiss like the idea of nuclear power in theory, the real question is whether they think construction should be subsidized by the government.  Becuase if it isn't, nuclear power just isn't going to be an important part of America's energy future.

[The Brain]

Sweden very recently decided on a site for our final deposit. It will be next to one of our existing NPPs.

Ironically enough the whole "omg lol waste is dangerous and must be stored 4ever" just means unnecessary employment for hundreds or thousands of extra nukular guys. The issue itself is, rationally speaking, a big nothing. It doesn't matter what happens to the stuff 1,000 years from now, let alone 10,000 or 100,000 years. The long term problem doesn't exist. The stuff will essentially stay put and even if some of it will escape hundreds of years from now it doesn't matter. Costs 1,000 years in the future have to be astronomical to matter today.

[MadImmortalMan]

Today's waste is tomorrow's fuel.


Frankly, I think my fellow Nevadans are fools for rejecting it. We charge them to store it here. We charge them to ship it here. Then when they want to back as fuel for the reactors of the future, we sell it back to them. Plus shipping and handling.

[The Brain]

And extended warranty.