France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors • Hacker News Board

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#41

Post by LatteLazy » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:36 PM UTC

megaman821 wrote: post #25

This will provide a nice data-point for those who argue nuclear makes more financial sense over wind/solar/battery, but some anti-nuclear cabal is stopping their construction. Maybe they are right and France will make lots of money selling energy to its neighbors, or they are wrong, and France will be stuck with some of the highest energy prices in the euro region.

Of course, no one will know for over a decade while these are being built. Assuming they come in on schedule. And that France ever admits the costs. And by then people will be on to arguing the next next generation really will be much better this time...

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#42

Post by tomdell » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:36 PM UTC

axiosgunnar wrote: post #24

tomdell wrote: post #12

I advise anyone not in the know to look into France's historical control of uranium mining in Niger. France's nuclear industry has long been fueled by a highly unequal neocolonial relationship with their former colony.

Well, either you have a job-providing trade-inducing environmental-friendly choice or you have a choice that allows you to virtue signal. I know which one I‘d choose.

No post body was provided.

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#43

Post by marcosdumay » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:36 PM UTC

megaman821 wrote: post #25

This will provide a nice data-point for those who argue nuclear makes more financial sense over wind/solar/battery, but some anti-nuclear cabal is stopping their construction. Maybe they are right and France will make lots of money selling energy to its neighbors, or they are wrong, and France will be stuck with some of the highest energy prices in the euro region.

Or some group will stop their construction...

I think nuclear doesn't make sense nowadays, but it's hard to disagree that there are many groups working hard to stop it. How you decided it's a conspiracy cabal somewhere eludes me, they are very visible and very loud.

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#44

Post by neamar » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:38 PM UTC

megaman821 wrote: post #25

This will provide a nice data-point for those who argue nuclear makes more financial sense over wind/solar/battery, but some anti-nuclear cabal is stopping their construction. Maybe they are right and France will make lots of money selling energy to its neighbors, or they are wrong, and France will be stuck with some of the highest energy prices in the euro region.

France has historically been a net exporter of its mostly nuclear electricity. Electricity price is average compared to the rest of Europe, https://strom-report.de/electricity-prices-europe/

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#45

Post by ekabod » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:38 PM UTC

socialdemocrat wrote: post #7

I am skeptical to current nuclear power, would have liked Molten Salt Reactors instead. However I see leaders having to do something. Environmentalists are blocking construction of more wind power, and crisis with Russia makes gas less accessible. France has a relatively good track record on nuclear power. They may pull this off. 2035 is a really long time to wait for new power to the grid though.

"France has a relatively good track record on nuclear power"

What does that means?

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#46

Post by felixmeziere » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:38 PM UTC

socialdemocrat wrote: post #7

I am skeptical to current nuclear power, would have liked Molten Salt Reactors instead. However I see leaders having to do something. Environmentalists are blocking construction of more wind power, and crisis with Russia makes gas less accessible. France has a relatively good track record on nuclear power. They may pull this off. 2035 is a really long time to wait for new power to the grid though.

100% agree Molten Salt reactors are one of the main keys to a liveable future for us this century...

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#47

Post by nradov » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:39 PM UTC

HideousKojima wrote: post #10

socialdemocrat wrote: post #7

I am skeptical to current nuclear power, would have liked Molten Salt Reactors instead. However I see leaders having to do something. Environmentalists are blocking construction of more wind power, and crisis with Russia makes gas less accessible. France has a relatively good track record on nuclear power. They may pull this off. 2035 is a really long time to wait for new power to the grid though.

>Environmentalists are blocking construction of more wind power Environmentalists really are their own worst enemies. When I was in high school near San Diego about 15 years ago, there was a huge amount of opposition to a solar power project. From environmentalists. There was a solar power plant out in Imperial County and the environmentalists were protesting the high voltage lines that would bring the power into San…

The Endangered Species Act has become a blunt instrument that environmentalists and NIMBYs can use to shut down almost any major infrastructure project. No one wants to see any species go extinct but the time has come to make some hard choices. We may have to sacrifice the six-toed purple salamanders or whatever in order to preserve the rest of the biosphere.

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#48

Post by joe_the_user » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:40 PM UTC

HideousKojima wrote: post #10

socialdemocrat wrote: post #7

I am skeptical to current nuclear power, would have liked Molten Salt Reactors instead. However I see leaders having to do something. Environmentalists are blocking construction of more wind power, and crisis with Russia makes gas less accessible. France has a relatively good track record on nuclear power. They may pull this off. 2035 is a really long time to wait for new power to the grid though.

>Environmentalists are blocking construction of more wind power Environmentalists really are their own worst enemies. When I was in high school near San Diego about 15 years ago, there was a huge amount of opposition to a solar power project. From environmentalists. There was a solar power plant out in Imperial County and the environmentalists were protesting the high voltage lines that would bring the power into San…

In this article, I don't see evidence for "environmentalists" being the ones block wind-power, sounds more like argument between levels of the French state [1]. But just as much, the mantle of environmentalist can be taken by anyone, notably just nimbys. There's not a copyright on the term. But it winds-up even worse when others point to these idiot uses of the term environmentalist and then try to push actually environmentally destructive projects.

https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/french-wind-ene...

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#49

Post by chrisseaton » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:41 PM UTC

ch4s3 wrote: post #36

chrisseaton wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people think it's worth redefining society to protect the environment. I wouldn't agree with that absolutely either, but it's a logical and defensible position. It's not incoherent.

It doesn't seem particularly coherent to me for a few reasons. To draw a hard line between human activity/habitat and nature seems artificial. A human settlement is not so different from a beaver dam of ant colony in many ways. The idea especially in the US that there is some pre-colonial unspoiled nature that we could preserve or return to seems historically ignorant. Native Americans were managing the land with fir…

> The idea especially in the US that there is some pre-colonial unspoiled nature that we could preserve or return to seems historically ignorant.

Who are you replying to here? Who's argued this?

Re: France to Build Six New Nuclear Reactors

#50

Post by nexuist » Thu, Feb 10, 2022, 9:42 PM UTC

tomdell wrote: post #40

Bayart wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those days are long gone. France's nuclear industry is fueled by a legally-mandated diversified supply, chiefly from Kazakhstan, Australia and Canada.

Extract value and leave the locals alone to deal with the consequences - how progressive.

Great job moving those goal posts when your original premise was called out.

What exactly do you want France to do in Niger to atone for their sins? Build infrastructure, fund businesses, make deals with their government? In other words, you want to solve colonialism with more colonialism?