# The cost of nuclear

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2023-11-16
- Length: 46m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-11-16-the-cost-of-nuclear

## Summary

Dr. Jessica Lovering, co-founder of the Good Energy Collective, explains that nuclear construction costs vary wildly globally, from $2,200/kW in South Korea to over $8,000/kW in the US, primarily due to a lack of standardized, high-volume production. She argues that unlike solar, nuclear has historically been treated as unique infrastructure projects rather than manufactured goods, leading to high engineering and project management costs. Lovering suggests that Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and micro-reactors could lower costs through factory fabrication and passive safety features, but regulatory modernization and demand-pull policies are essential to create the volume needed to drive down prices. She remains optimistic about a handful of projects coming online by 2030, despite the cancellation of the NuScale deal, by targeting diverse markets with varying reactor sizes.

## Chapters

- [1:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-11-16-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=83) Introduction: Global Nuclear Context and Cost Variability
- [6:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-11-16-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=404) Global Deployment: China, South Korea, and the UAE
- [11:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-11-16-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=672) Cost Breakdown: Capital vs. Fuel and the 'Nuclear Island'
- [19:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-11-16-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=1199) SMRs, Modularity, and Passive Safety Features
- [29:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-11-16-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=1777) Regulation, Licensing, and the Need for Demand-Pull Policies
- [38:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-11-16-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=2282) The NuScale Cancellation and Future Market Models

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- NuScale (company)
- South Korea (other)
- China (other)
- UAE (other)
- Vogel project (product)
- AP 1000 (product)
- Westinghouse (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Why has manufacturing gotten dramatically cheaper for 200 years, and construction hasn't? Brian Potter of Construction Physics has spent years finding out.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2026-03-12-why-has-manufacturing-gotten-dramatically-cheaper-for-200-years-and-construction) (Go/No-Go)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-11-16-the-cost-of-nuclear. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.