this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2024
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You don't have to convince me, if you think it's such a great power source with such low costs you should pitch some investors.
I would think you would be the one trying to understand why nuclear plants aren't being built if their costs are lower and benefits are higher. ๐คทโโ๏ธ
We understand already. The reason is that people are scared by "omg nukes!'. It's the stigma, not unlike that against LGBTQ+ parlors, immigrants, anarchism, and putting dishes in the dishwasher without rinsing them first.
"The people" don't build NPPs, risk-adverse utility companies do. And while public opinion might matter in some countries, nuclear power is just 5% in China, compared to renewables at around 30%.
Yes, and that's my point: companies get significant pushback from people with internalized nucleoelectrophobia. I'm also not sure why we're comparing to China.
Because they don't give a shit what their people think. Yes, they are still building new coal and nuclear power plants, but it's being outpaced by renewables.
Being a dictatorship does not mean you don't care what the people think if it's not about taking away something substantial and potentially excusable from the people. Plus, there's sample size: there are a lot less dictatorships with the capability to build nuclear reactors than there are democracies with the same capabilities.
Even then, China generates the world's third most power from nuclear, being only a bit less than half of the US's output. The percentage is much lower because of just how much the nation depends on coal power.