I'm so glad I left the nuclear industry thirteen years ago!
I worked in nuclear power for about eight years. I felt like I was taking crazy pills. There's a strong vein of cognitive dissonance running through the industry relating to its economic viability. Nuclear power has always been the most expensive available energy production method. So every time I hear talking heads say "nuclear power is the only power production method that can be built fast enough to address climate change" my blood starts to boil. Every nuclear power plant in history has been pitched as "sure it's stupid expensive up front, but the power it produces will be too cheap to meter". And then they cost 5x as much and take 5x as long as predicted to be built and also cost more than predicted to operate. But the next generation won't have any of the problems that all previous generations had? It's like listening to silicon valley people rave about AI or humanoid robots or driverless cars. "Sure, the past six generations didn't deliver what they promised, don't worry about that, don't think about that, the next one is going to be amazing!"
>Why do areas with nuclear power around the world have cheaper than average electricity costs, then?
Frankly it's because much of the cost of nuclear energy is not labelled "electricity costs" and is instead paid for using general taxes from current and future taxpayers. In the US the defence budget covers some of it for example.
I worked in nuclear power for about eight years. I felt like I was taking crazy pills. There's a strong vein of cognitive dissonance running through the industry relating to its economic viability. Nuclear power has always been the most expensive available energy production method. So every time I hear talking heads say "nuclear power is the only power production method that can be built fast enough to address climate change" my blood starts to boil. Every nuclear power plant in history has been pitched as "sure it's stupid expensive up front, but the power it produces will be too cheap to meter". And then they cost 5x as much and take 5x as long as predicted to be built and also cost more than predicted to operate. But the next generation won't have any of the problems that all previous generations had? It's like listening to silicon valley people rave about AI or humanoid robots or driverless cars. "Sure, the past six generations didn't deliver what they promised, don't worry about that, don't think about that, the next one is going to be amazing!"
Goodbye nuclear.