Accelerate the World's Transition to Sustainable Energy - to fight Anthropogenic Climate Change, 73222997, page-31949 - HotCopper | ASX Share Prices, Stock Market & Share Trading Forum

Originally posted by pints ↑

Good to see advanced countries having the conversation, while backward Australia does the ostrich !

I believe SMR's when available "off the shelf" will be the most effective use for Australia combined with unreliable and intermittent renewables backed up by expensive and depreciating batteries.

Unpacking the Economics of Europe's NuclearAmbition
Story by CamillaJessen
• 19h • 2 min read
SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT

As Europe charts its course towards asustainable energy future, the continent's commitment to nuclear power has comeunder the spotlight. A coalition of 14 pro-nuclear EU member states has putforward a bold proposition: the addition of 50 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050to meet energy transition targets. This ambitious goal would necessitate theconstruction of over 30 new reactors, which comes with a hefty price tag and ahost of challenges.

The Price Tag ofProgress
The cost of this nuclear augmentation is estimated to range from €5 to€11 billion per GW, a range that “shows a great deal of uncertainty and a bigdifference in the assumptions”, energy economist Professor Jaques Perceboistold Euractiv.
The Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) offers a comprehensive view of thecosts associated with nuclear power, which encompasses the total cost ofgenerating power, including construction, operation, and fuel costs.
Yet, a significant portion of the debate focuses on the upfrontinvestment needed to build new plants. According to Percebois, investment costsaccount for approximately 70% of a new reactor's expense, with operation andfuel costs each representing about 15%.

White House: Kirby Issues Ultimatum onSpace Nukes
Financing theNuclear Ambition
Financing these colossal projects is a multifaceted endeavor, withoptions ranging from equity and borrowing to public subsidies.
Related video: How isEurope's economy faring? (Dailymotion)
Alternative approaches, such as cooperative investments by largeindustrial electricity consumers, offer intriguing but limited prospects.Borrowing emerges as the principal channel for funding, albeit with substantialinterest costs. Reducing these costs hinges on maximizing public subsidies andleveraging publicly-backed equity.
The Regulatory andSupportive Framework
EU State aid rules present a navigational challenge for countriesaspiring to subsidize nuclear plant construction. There is also a growing callamong member states for access to European funds or the creation of dedicatedfinancial instruments to support nuclear power.
The role of entities like the European Investment Bank (EIB) becomespivotal, offering low-interest financing that signals confidence to otherinvestors.
The Impact of PowerProduction Rates and Technology Choices
A plant's projected electricity production rate significantly influencesits operating costs. In France, differing estimates between the EnergyRegulation Commission and EDF underscore the challenge of forecasting nuclearpower's production potential.
The choice of reactor technology plays a critical role, with thecomplexity and scale of large reactors often leading to delays and costoverruns. Conversely, proponents of small modular reactors (SMRs) argue for thecost benefits of serial production, suggesting that economies of scale couldrender SMRs more economically viable.

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UK plans fleet of 40 Xe-100 small nuclear reactors to meet energy needs
X-Energy will now draw up a plan to find potential sites for nuclear plant installation in the UK

Awarded through the UK Government’s Future Nuclear Enabling Fund (FNEF), X-Energy UK Holdings will now develop a plan on how and where the reactors will be built.

It includes plans on domestic manufacturing and supply chain opportunities, constructability, modularization studies, and fuel management. Part of the plan is for 80% of the value of the Xe-100 projects to go to UK-based contractors and suppliers.

The UK government has awarded funding for the first time to an advanced modular reactor technology for post-R&D commercialization and business development activities.

“We are backing innovation in nuclear – from building large-scale plants better to encouraging new advanced technologies – to achieve our ambition for a quarter of our electricity to come from nuclear power by 2050,” said Minister for Nuclear and Renewables Andrew Bowie.

“This funding supports the next step in [developing] advanced modular reactors and shows our commitment to keeping the UK at the forefront of nuclear technology,” he added.

Thank Australia for the $5 billion dollars 'donated' to UK for Nuclear research............