On: The AI Investment Boom

[ben_w]

Uranium, at least the un-enriched kind you can just buy, was never the problem.

Even the peak of that graph (136… er, USD per lb?) is essentially a rounding error compared to everything else.

0.00191 USD/kWh? Something like that, depends on the type of reactor it goes in.

[atomic128 → ben_w]

You are correct. This is one of the advantages of nuclear power.

The fuel is a tiny fraction of the cost of running the plant. See discussion here, contrasting with natural gas: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41858892

It is also important that the fuel is physically small so you can (and typically, do) store years of fuel on-site at the reactor. Nuclear is "secure" in the sense that it can provide "energy security".

[ben_w → atomic128]

It would only be an advantage if everything in the power plant else wasn't so expensive.

And I'm saying that as someone who finds all this stuff cool and would like to see it used in international shipping.

[atomic128 → ben_w]

Discussed at length here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41863388

I already linked this above, twice. I know it's a hassle to read, it's Sunday afternoon, so don't worry about it.

It's not important whether you as an individual get this right or not, as long as society reaches the correct conclusion. Thankfully, we're seeing that happen, a worldwide shift toward the adoption of nuclear power.

Have a pleasant evening!