Nuclear has been and continues to be viable economically speaking in several countries. France is currently selling nuclear power to providers at about 7 cents per kWh. If simpler and safer designs are approved we can see huge improvements in this area.
However it is starting to look like improvements in battery technology will make nuclear unnecessary in the long run and wind/solar are getting to be insanely cheap. New pressurized water nuclear plants would be impractical at this point for sure. Molten salt thermal neutron reactors are promising, but even a test reactor for them is more than 5 years away at which point solar and wind will be even cheaper.
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Setting aside the fear factor, nuclear electricity generation is not economically viable. It never has been. Read this 2005 paper and many others from RMI. https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/RMI_Nuclear_Power...
Nuclear has been and continues to be viable economically speaking in several countries. France is currently selling nuclear power to providers at about 7 cents per kWh. If simpler and safer designs are approved we can see huge improvements in this area.
However it is starting to look like improvements in battery technology will make nuclear unnecessary in the long run and wind/solar are getting to be insanely cheap. New pressurized water nuclear plants would be impractical at this point for sure. Molten salt thermal neutron reactors are promising, but even a test reactor for them is more than 5 years away at which point solar and wind will be even cheaper.