this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2025
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So, bottom line: nuclear power plants are too expensive and without massive state investment not feasible under capitalism?
They're a long-term investment. That requires people to plan for the future.
It also requires your country to have natural resources, otherwise you end up buying the uranium ore from Iran, Russia or Niger
Are you saying the country that created the first ever nuclear bomb does not have uranium deposits?
No.
Let me rephrase: if you want Uranium ore for civil purposes you may be forced to financially support the biggest assholes in some shithole country. The US may have rich Uranium mines in Indian reservations, but to supply large commercial undertakings, such as the current buildout of reactors, there has to be a much more massive supply chain.
See here: "Imports accounted for 99% of the U3O8 they used in 2023 to make nuclear fuel. "
Canada is one of the largest suppliers of uranium for enrichment, like literally #2 or 3 in the world. I feel you left them off your list for... Dubious reasons.
The reasons: Illustrative purposes. Yes you can promise to buy local/ only from Democratic States like Canada, or Australia, but purchasing fuel is left to the owner of the plant. If the owner decides Uranium from Russia, Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan (or via some other non santioned country) is better/ cheaper, there is little to nothing stopping them from doing so.
I'm aware Canada and Australia are among the top 10 producers/reserve-havers.
My point: it's a different matter for non Uranium- having Countries in the world. Same with Rare Earths and Battery tech or using Russian ahem Indian gas in Europe, but that is maybe a different conversation.
They take years to get running. And that's a number of quarterly reports with only losses. Line Must Always Go Up.
So, by using fossil fuels (which America has lots of), it causes more pollution, which heats up the world, which melts the ice, which exposes land under Greenland / the caps / which allows companies to drill and sell oil and gas...
That's Trump's real intention. To make more money for certain companies who have ~~bribed~~ paid him...