# The cost of nuclear

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2024-08-15
- Length: 44m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-08-15-the-cost-of-nuclear

## Summary

Dr. Jessica Lovering, co-founder and executive director of the Good Energy Collective, explains that nuclear construction costs vary wildly globally, ranging from $2,200 per kilowatt in South Korea to over $8,000 in the U.S., primarily due to a lack of standardized, high-volume production. She argues that unlike traditional large infrastructure projects, future nuclear must adopt modularity and passive safety features to reduce complexity and engineering costs, drawing parallels to the aircraft manufacturing model. Lovering notes that while the cancellation of the NuScale project highlights current cost uncertainties, the emergence of micro-reactors and diverse market needs offers a path forward if regulatory frameworks can support factory-fabricated, standardized designs.

## Chapters

- [2:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-08-15-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=135) Introduction: Global Nuclear Context and Cost Variability
- [8:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-08-15-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=532) Global Cost Benchmarks: South Korea vs. US
- [17:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-08-15-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=1059) Capital Cost Breakdown: Nuclear Island vs. Balance of Plant
- [21:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-08-15-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=1297) Modularity, Passive Safety, and the Aircraft Analogy
- [30:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-08-15-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=1816) Regulation, Demand Pull, and Policy Drivers
- [36:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-08-15-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=2176) NuScale Cancellation and Future Market Segments
- [40:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-08-15-the-cost-of-nuclear#t=2444) Pricing Models and Risk Mitigation for Buyers

## Topics

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

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Good Energy Collective (company)
- NuScale (company)
- TerraPower (company)
- South Korea (other)
- Vogtle (product)
- AP1000 (product)
- Breakthrough Institute (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/2024-08-15-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.