Works in Progress Podcast The nuclear renaissance
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Jan 30, 2026 Alex Chalmers, researcher and writer on energy regulation, and Ben Southwood, policy and energy commentator, dive into nuclear history and national contrasts. They explore why costs soared, France’s large-scale success, safety rules that inflated price, public fear of radiation, and whether small modular reactors or policy fixes could revive nuclear’s role.
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Sizewell B: A Vivid Visit
- Ben Southwood visiting Sizewell B describes the turbine hall as a "cathedral to energy" and touching steel spinning at 3,000 RPM.
- He notes Sizewell B was finished 30 years ago and Britain hasn't completed a new reactor since, illustrating the stop-start British nuclear story.
Nuclear's Original Promise
- Ben explains nuclear's core promise: enormous energy density makes fuel costs trivial, about 2% of running costs.
- That implied nuclear could be far cheaper than coal because it removes fuel and transport costs from the equation.
Learning Reversed: Costs Rose
- Early nuclear got cheaper through the 1950s-60s with overnight costs around $500/kW in today's money.
- Modern projects like Vogtle now cost orders of magnitude more, showing how nuclear reversed its early learning.
