• PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      It’s not just construction workers, it’s the management, it’s the regulators, it’s the suppliers, and the design and engineering teams. Most countries have lost all of that capability apart from places like South Korea, Finland, Russia, France and China.

      China currently has 22 nuclear reactors under construction, 70 in the planning phase, and they currently operate 55. Well that is less than the United States, they will surpass the US soon. They seem to have figured it out.

    • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      I’m sick and tired of “pro-environment” useful idiots shilling against nuclear power

      You know that the idea we should be investing in nuclear is being pushed by the very same people who for decades were telling us we didn’t need to worry about climate change, right?

      They’re trying to get “useful idiots”, as you so eloquently put it, to also support nuclear energy, rather than going all-in on renewables.

      The “useful idiots” in this scenario are not the people opposing nuclear. They’re the ones suggesting it’s actually an economical idea, and in so doing either explicitly or (more often) implicitly suggesting that we shouldn’t invest too much in actual renewable energy.

      • Kool_Newt@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Right, also nuclear power helps maintain centralization and authoritarian control of populations. Decentralization everywhere is the future for both energy and security reasons.

        • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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          1 year ago

          Eh, I agree that decentralisation is good, but I don’t think you need such an extreme conspiracy to explain why.

          It’s not about “authoritarian control”. It’s just about corporate profits.

          • Kool_Newt@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            Money and power, it’s both. I agree that during “normal” times it’s primarily greed driving centralization, at least of things like electricity generation so that usage can be metered and charged for.

            But here are people out there that want power and they are willing to do extreme things to get or keep it. Of the top of my head:

            • Trump
            • Putin
            • Xi
            • pretty much any political party
            • pretty much any industry organization (energy industry, etc)

            I’m sure you’ve heard about other countries having societal issues and the state shuts down the internet? This is what centralization makes possible. It’s been done, it will be done again. When power is at risk, extreme measures are taken, and centralization facilitates this.