The cost for their two AP1000 reactors went from $9.8B to $25B before the expansion at the power plant was eventually halted. Westinghouse, who designed the reactors, almost shut down as a result of cost overruns here and in another power station, where costs for a similar setup of two AP1000 reactors went from $14B to $34B (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Pla...).
Unfortunately the desperate nuclear energy industry in the West hasn’t done well and is more or less dead, although potentially soon to be revived due to the AI boom. Westinghouse at one point sold their reactors to China, including all the designs/IP, which was a huge strategic mistake for them and for the US. China then simply cut ties and built their own designs based off the AP1000, what they now call the CAP1000 and CAP1400:
https://web.archive.org/web/20241204140927/https://www.admin... for a site inspection presentation.
This is the same power station that was involved in “Nukegate”:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nukegate_scandal
The cost for their two AP1000 reactors went from $9.8B to $25B before the expansion at the power plant was eventually halted. Westinghouse, who designed the reactors, almost shut down as a result of cost overruns here and in another power station, where costs for a similar setup of two AP1000 reactors went from $14B to $34B (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Pla...).
Unfortunately the desperate nuclear energy industry in the West hasn’t done well and is more or less dead, although potentially soon to be revived due to the AI boom. Westinghouse at one point sold their reactors to China, including all the designs/IP, which was a huge strategic mistake for them and for the US. China then simply cut ties and built their own designs based off the AP1000, what they now call the CAP1000 and CAP1400:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAP1400
But that was a great quarter. You should have seen the bonuses.
You’re probably correct about the incentives. I wonder if some of those same people regret those choices now…
Apparently Westinghouse still collect licensing fees for CAP1000 builds https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mark-w-nelson-484b0713_this-i...
https://archive.ph/y7S0C