UK Hinkley nuclear plant estimate skyrockets $30 billion in past year.

[cprise]

6. No one pushing nuclear is aiming for lower-energy societies

No one. The political economy of creating demand goes right along with it.

Here's what also comes with nuclear:

* Paranoid police states (think 'Richard Nixon' and his successors, or the 'surprise' that France already had its population under total surveillance)
* Assumptions of endless political and environmental stability (hence, W. Europe is reducing nuclear)
* Ambitions to increase reactors to forty-fold over c.2001 levels "to meet future demand"
* Endless economic growth (now there is cult for you)
* Endless demonization of pariah countries that reach for nuclear (nuclear is "for me, not for thee&quot
* A tradition of scapegoating environmentalists for the nuclear industry's own failures
* Literally putting power and wealth into a smaller number of hands than ever; Fewer stakeholders and increased dependency

The mindset behind the promotion of highly-concentrated sources of power is not sustainable and its effects are already severe, IMO.

As for Germany's development, you may think its BS but its still driving an overall downward emissions trend in the EU. So criticisms of renewables that afford only a tiny fraction of the support and devotion that nuclear has had, and which conveniently treat European countries like island-grids, are bullshit. The rejection of pioneering development as soon as they look a little odd are bullshit--that is the Consumer (deprived or otherwise) coming out.

But I digress....

The implicit lesson in the OP is that nuclear cannot surmount problems of its own making... cannot even conceive of assigning blame within their own Too Important To Fail circle until a disaster occurs. So we have come to a juncture where the vanguard of the "nuclear renaissance" are authoritarian states--the more explicit the better. It should be no surprise.

Conversely, a western culture that has regressed to Victorian-era exploitation, corruption, oligarchy and revanchism is the exact opposite of the societal template that was supposed to shepherd the expansion of nuclear power. Technical details and potential by themselves cannot make something benign.

You want a world that can get by on a dab of renewables here, a dab of nuclear there. But without realizing it, you may be projecting your personal habits of social responsibility onto this issue. You and I both have small, old cars... So what? The culture breeds contempt of non-consumer role models as surely as it does for states not selling themselves to Wall St. People may put off buying computers and then are shamed (Intel) and bullied (Microsoft) into buying. One step forward, two steps back--and you should know that car and PC sales *are* rebounding.

Anyone with an acute sense of self-deprivation which never ceases to be re-told is, I think, not going to work as a role model. It is obviously painful and a little extreme. I'm just waiting for the punchline ('I regret voting for Jimmy Carter...').