Nuclear power now makes up about 25% of the generation of Georgia Power, the largest unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co.

First U.S. nuclear reactor built from scratch in decades enters commercial operation in Georgia::ATLANTA — A new reactor at a nuclear power plant in Georgia has entered commercial operation, becoming the first new American reactor built from scratch in decades.

  • icydefiance@lemmy.worldEnglish
    97·
    11 months ago

    The cost of storing nuclear waste for a running plant is only a few hundred thousand a year; basically just just salary for a few people to transport it to a big hole in the ground.

    Decommissioning costs a few hundred million, which sounds like a lot, but for a project that lasts for decades it’s basically nothing.

      • grue@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        11 months ago

        Or even less if we – gasp, shock, horror! – reprocessed it.

        (We don’t do that because of overblown fears about nuclear weapons proliferation.)

      • sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        34·
        11 months ago

        The Department estimates that continued operation of the current fleet of nuclear power reactors could ~70,000 metric tons of uranium * increase the total inventory of spent fuel from 70,000 metric tons of uranium to 140,000 metric tons of uranium. Nearly all of this spent fuel is being stored at the reactor sites where it was generated, either submerged in pools of water (wet storage) or in shielded casks (dry storage). The Dept of Energy

        Those must be some big fucking trucks. And as far as I know, only Finland has actually developed any long-term storage which could be considered safe.

        Nuclear is fine, but nuclear fanboi takes are similar to weed fanbois, it’s not a perfect solution.

        • I am become Noodle@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          22·
          11 months ago

          You seem to think a big number means a big pile of green goo. But actually…

          All of the used fuel ever produced by the commercial nuclear industry since the late 1950s would cover a whole football field to a height of approximately 10 yards.

    • tony@lemmy.hoyle.me.ukEnglish
      96·
      11 months ago

      Estimated total cost of decommissioning in the UK is £120bn. But it’s going to take 100 years to do it… so yay lots of rotting radioactive buildings for the next century.

      The nuclear waste storage facility cost 53bn to build, let alone run… so way off your ‘few hundred thousand a year’.

      • icydefiance@lemmy.worldEnglish
        33·
        11 months ago

        Estimated total cost of decommissioning in the UK is £120bn.

        That’s for way more than just one plant, and there’s a lot more going on that resulted in such a high price tag. That isn’t normal.

        The nuclear waste storage facility cost 53bn to build, let alone run

        It’s a reinforced hole in the ground, designed to last a long, long time after humans forget it exists. Of course it cost money to build, but now it’s just there. It doesn’t cost anything for it to continue to exist. Maybe there’s a little security or staff for some purpose, but I don’t know what they would even do.