• Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    11 months ago

    My frame of reference is the latest nuclear reactor built in the US. It was six years late, $14 billion over budget, bankrupted Westinghouse, and is set to increase electric rates. The DoE had to give them a $12 billion loan just to finish construction.

    I’m not scared they’re gonna blow up. I’m scared they’re gonna waste a ton of money that could be used for renewables. Heck, even the small modular reactors are running over cost and over time.

    • Jode@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      Ehhhh Westinghouse bankrupted Westinghouse. They decided they were going to cut Bechtel out of the project and build VC summer by themselves. Pocketing the “savings”. Problem is, the way things had worked for decades before is Westinghouse does the design and Bechtel does the construction. They couldn’t cut it on their own and it destroyed the company. They let the financial dinks speak louder than the engineers and payed for it dearly.

      There’s a chance things would have gone much different if they didn’t try to take on a work scope completely out of their league.