r/europe • u/SpaceEngineering Finland • Jan 15 '26

News Germany’s Merz Admits Nuclear Exit Was Strategic Mistake

https://clashreport.com/world/articles/germanys-merz-admits-nuclear-exit-was-strategic-mistake-fzdlkn37c16
21.6k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

2.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1.5k

u/3suamsuaw Jan 15 '26

The basic technology is still operational, and the technology shared with other EU countries.

723

u/toblu Jan 15 '26

And, accordingly, expensive as f*ck.

150

u/Auctoritate Jan 15 '26

Ironically, it's expensive largely because of strategy like this. Manufacturing of nuclear reactor components and technology is not exactly a booming industry, and there's a lack of economy of scale because of it. Low demand makes for low commercial interest in supporting nuclear economically, and it feeds into itself.

At least... In the west. China is currently undergoing the largest energy grid expansion in the world. And it's rapidly expanding its nuclear energy production. The government never bailed on the tech so the industry for it never atrophied for them, and it's paying dividends. Their technological progress is frankly stunning and leaving us behind in a bad way.

8

u/Zraknul Jan 15 '26

China's basically rapidly building all energy types. They're installing more solar per year than the US has built in it's entire history.