As someone with experience with the nuclear industry, the biggest cost sink in building nuclear plants isn't the technology itself or its accompanying regulation. The problem is that a handful of...
As someone with experience with the nuclear industry, the biggest cost sink in building nuclear plants isn't the technology itself or its accompanying regulation. The problem is that a handful of huge contractors (e.g. Bechtel, D&Z, etc) have trapped most of the industry in a sort of vendor lock-in trap. These contractors then use their leverage to negotiate brutal cost-plus contracts that reward them for finishing work years late and billions of dollars overbudget.
This problem isn't limited to nuclear alone, however. It seems like every large infrastructure project is getting caught in this same quagmire.
As someone with experience with the nuclear industry, the biggest cost sink in building nuclear plants isn't the technology itself or its accompanying regulation. The problem is that a handful of huge contractors (e.g. Bechtel, D&Z, etc) have trapped most of the industry in a sort of vendor lock-in trap. These contractors then use their leverage to negotiate brutal cost-plus contracts that reward them for finishing work years late and billions of dollars overbudget.
This problem isn't limited to nuclear alone, however. It seems like every large infrastructure project is getting caught in this same quagmire.
You make a good point with the cost scaling, too.