The entire certification process of the components used in nuclear is a mess in Europe.
Parts needs to be certified multiple times for multiple entities, and the same is true for each component used in building those parts. Each country in Europe has different regulations, so the same design needs to be adapted and recertified so it is always the first of a kind. The process is done multiple times during construction as the criteria changes with continuous renegotiating and amendments to the contracts.
That makes the costs explode. Nuclear in China is as safe and costs 3 to 7 times less. The difference is know how (they never stopped building), standardization and scale.
The entire certification process of the components used in nuclear is a mess in Europe.
Parts needs to be certified multiple times for multiple entities, and the same is true for each component used in building those parts. Each country in Europe has different regulations, so the same design needs to be adapted and recertified so it is always the first of a kind. The process is done multiple times during construction as the criteria changes with continuous renegotiating and amendments to the contracts.
That makes the costs explode. Nuclear in China is as safe and costs 3 to 7 times less. The difference is know how (they never stopped building), standardization and scale.