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China is living proof we could do it- they are currently on track to build a _reactor a year_. We let all our nuclear talent age out and die.
by asynchronous 3y ago
China is living proof we could do it- they are currently on track to build a _reactor a year_. We let all our nuclear talent age out and die.
- epistasis 3y agoChina is not building nearly as much nuclear as they are solar, wind, and storage. A reactor a year is a pathetic pace! 1GW/year! Even I f the US matched that, we will see most of our nuclear fleet age out before it was replaced. For contrast, China is expected to be able to produce 6TWh/year of batteries in 2030, ~260 "gigafactories" worth: https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/over-400-gigafactories-in-2030-pipeline-but-overcapacity-fears-loom https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/over-400-gigafa... China's reluctance to invest as heavily in nuclear should be a clear sign that even with great competence at building nuclear, it's just not that attractive of a tech. It's barely functioning as a hedge, and is probably only being used for its side industries rather than as a serious power source.