The mining and processing of the “fuel” is not. The cost of the plants and the risks neither. That’s why nuclear is slowly losing to regenerative.
Btw, from the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2024 > Key Insights:
Russia is also playing a key role in the supply of fuel
services, involving uranium mining, conversion, and
fuel assembly manufacturing for Soviet-designed
VVER pressurized water reactors, of which there
are 19 in the E.U. and 15 in Ukraine. International
sanctions have had little effect on the business. On
the contrary, the share of Russian supply of natural
uranium, conversion, and enrichment services to
the E.U. all increased between pre-war year 2021
and 2023; VVER fuel imports doubled.
And you can see all of my points confirmed in that report.
It’ll come back eventually unless fusion takes over. The power density promises are simply too attractive.
The mining and processing of the “fuel” is not. The cost of the plants and the risks neither. That’s why nuclear is slowly losing to regenerative.
Btw, from the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2024 > Key Insights:
And you can see all of my points confirmed in that report.