nuclear plant · Kozloduy · Belene
Nuclear power was the future
12 April 2020 · First published in Capital · Original in Capital →
In brief
Opening with a personal memory of the Kozloduy construction site, the author sets nuclear's promises – inexhaustible fuel, reliable baseload, cheap power – against reality: decline after Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, dependence on state support and military links (Hinkley Point C at £92.50/MWh) and the uncertain future of small modular reactors. He doubts the benefits apply to Bulgaria and ends with the Sun as the "reactor of the future".