Author: Kiersten Sundell
You’ve heard that practice makes perfect, but have you heard that practice also makes faster builds, smoother supply chains, cheaper materials, and experienced regulatory bodies?
I’m talking about nuclear plants, of course.
Many nuclear opponents say, “if nuclear plants always go over budget and over time, why should we keep trying?”
Well, this is because we haven’t built very many of the same kind.
Let’s say you want to build a brand-new nuclear plant. For an NRC application review alone, it can take up to five years. Once approved, you have to find a supply chain that is willing to build parts for your nuclear plant, and each singular part has to have its own receipt and certificate of approval.
The process is absurdly meticulous, and there are only a few manufacturers who are licensed to create nuclear plant parts. This can take multiple years as well, and you haven’t even started building yet. Once we break ground, you come across some unanticipated hurdles that you have to work through. Those set you back a couple of years too, and before you know it critics are coming at you from all sides about cost and time overruns.
But what if we built the same plant again? Well the NRC already knows about it, so approval is significantly faster. You already have a manufacturer that knows how to make your parts, and you know exactly what went wrong last time. The design is finished years sooner, and below budget.
This happens all the time. Take for example the television. In the 1950’s, the TV was a new-age luxury. It had only been built a handful of times and was pretty complex technology. When they hit the market, they were exorbitantly expensive — about $110 per square inch of TV screen. Over the past 80 years, we’ve made many more TVs, and in turn, have perfected the process. Today, you can get a TV for as little as 50 cents per square inch — a dramatic reduction.
By persevering, we’re setting the stage for a cleaner, more efficient energy future with every new nuclear plant built.
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