There’s been a lot of talk about SMR’s over the years, it’s nice to see one finally being built.
Even if it comes in over budget, getting the first one done will be a great learning experience and could lead to figuring out how to do future ones cheaper.
Assuming it’s on time, completion in 2029, connected to grid in 2030.
Assuming you still need the nuclear power to fill those batteries that is. Given the rate of solar adoption, that might well become unnecessary.
Assuming all power was handled by a single entity and not various businesses, there’s no point in building new solar (or any new capacity) when you can just build batteries for the existing nuclear plant that you have to shut down in the evening.
You should only build new power generation once you are able to drain the nuclear plants battery each day (or have the logistical planning to know when that will be the case anyway)
edit: made up numbers example: If a 300mw plant can power 300,000 homes but has to shut down in the overnight, that same plant with batteries can maybe power 400,000 homes.
Except people will just purchase their own solar, because it’s cheaper than getting nuclear power from a battery. They won’t wait for demand to catch up, they’ll make sure their own demand is fulfilled so they won’t have to purchase power anymore.
It’s a simple economic rule, if there’s a cheaper option people wi shift towards it. You can’t force people to purchase your power. You can’t stop it unless you ban buying solar, which won’t be received well.
Nuclear fills a rapidly shrinking niche in the power mix of tomorrow, and it’s economics that’s squeezing it out. There’s no point in fighting that unless you want to pay more for power than is necessary (which nobody does).