There are two reactors at Hinkley so maybe 2035 is reasonable for the 2nd unit although how an earth we get from Calder Hall built in under 4yrs 70yrs ago to the Hinkley timescales given all the modern construction plant and techniques now at our disposal is beyond me.
We should have bought the Sth Korean design which is have to be quicker to build and less costly although again another example of how the UK has sunk so low in its engineering capability from being world leaders to world laggards.
Nuclear technology is unique because it has got more and more expensive over time. Most technologies get cheaper and cheaper over time because people discover new and cheaper ways of doing things.
The fundamental problem with nuclear power is the longer people operate nuclear power stations around the world the more ways people find there are for things to go wrong. That then leads to fixes for these problems which increase costs and build time.
It turns out it is easy to make a reactor that works most of the time but very hard and very expensive to make one that never has a disaster.
It was unknown 70yrs ago yet its build out was fast and its safety record impeccable. This is an example of a wider malaise across our society where its become 100% safety at any cost laudable but unaffordable.
David. Interesting-but not surprising. A little while ago I compared the trajectory of HPC costs with those of the US reactor now building. To my surprise they were very similar.
Despite the hype I have little faith that SMRs will do any better.
Staggering numbers. I remember the 2017 Christmas turkeys promise. Whatever happened to Vincent de Rivaz..?!
He left as a 'surprise' in October 2017. I don't know whether that had anything do do with not being able to cook his turkey on Hinkley power that christmas. https://www.thetimes.com/article/edf-chief-who-ran-hinkley-nuclear-project-makes-surprise-exit-fmv802fkl?region=global
Interesting timing…
Retired with a huge pension. Il s’en fou🖕!!
There are two reactors at Hinkley so maybe 2035 is reasonable for the 2nd unit although how an earth we get from Calder Hall built in under 4yrs 70yrs ago to the Hinkley timescales given all the modern construction plant and techniques now at our disposal is beyond me.
We should have bought the Sth Korean design which is have to be quicker to build and less costly although again another example of how the UK has sunk so low in its engineering capability from being world leaders to world laggards.
I don’t think buying a different reactor type would make that much difference. See my arguments about how nuclear power in the West is bound to be very expensive: https://davidtoke.substack.com/p/why-nuclear-power-plant-are-so-expensive
Nuclear technology is unique because it has got more and more expensive over time. Most technologies get cheaper and cheaper over time because people discover new and cheaper ways of doing things.
The fundamental problem with nuclear power is the longer people operate nuclear power stations around the world the more ways people find there are for things to go wrong. That then leads to fixes for these problems which increase costs and build time.
It turns out it is easy to make a reactor that works most of the time but very hard and very expensive to make one that never has a disaster.
It was unknown 70yrs ago yet its build out was fast and its safety record impeccable. This is an example of a wider malaise across our society where its become 100% safety at any cost laudable but unaffordable.
David. Interesting-but not surprising. A little while ago I compared the trajectory of HPC costs with those of the US reactor now building. To my surprise they were very similar.
Despite the hype I have little faith that SMRs will do any better.
Perhaps fusion is the answer !!!
Best wishes
David
Actually...
Fusion Is A Terrible Way to Make Electricity - Princeton Physicist Who Worked On It For 25 Years
https://thebulletin.org/2018/02/iter-is-a-showcase-for-the-drawbacks-of-fusion-energy/
In video form:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrUWoywZRt8
Thanks Darrel - that's a pretty damning report!