France's most powerful nuclear reactor connected to grid after 17-year build - eviltoast
The opening of the European Pressurized Reactor in Flamanville comes 12 years late on the initial schedule.

Summary

France’s Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor, its most powerful at 1,600 MW, was connected to the grid on December 21 after 17 years of construction plagued by delays and budget overruns.

The European Pressurized Reactor (EPR), designed to boost nuclear energy post-Chernobyl, is 12 years behind schedule and cost €13.2 billion, quadruple initial estimates.

President Macron hailed the launch as a key step for low-carbon energy and energy security.

Nuclear power, which supplies 60% of France’s electricity, is central to Macron’s plan for a “nuclear renaissance.”

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldMEnglish
      132·
      1 day ago

      It’s based on what can actually be used.

      The world’s present measured resources of uranium (6.1 Mt) in the cost category less than three times present spot prices and used only in conventional reactors, are enough to last for about 90 years.

      https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/uranium-resources/supply-of-uranium

      (Note this is a *pro-*nuclear power organization.)

      New technology may change that. We were once told that the oil in the Canadian tar sands was not economical enough to extract and now they’re extracting it. The paper also discusses the possibility of thorium as a fuel source, although it has yet to see commercial viability.

      As-is, and with current reactors, we don’t have much we can use. Relying on new technology to change that could be a poor gamble.

      • Blackmist@feddit.ukEnglish
        101·
        1 day ago

        When I was at school in the early 90s I was told oil would run out in 30 years, yet here we are, 30 years later and not only did it not run out, but people aren’t even talking about it running out.

        100 years is a long time, and I suspect that nuclear will seem very old fashioned by then, and today’s power stations will have been long since decommissioned. If we’re not getting close to 100% of our power from wind and solar and tidal by then, we’ll be shafted anyway.