Due to rising costs, Ørsted has had to pause significant projects in offshore wind and hydrogen. It had locked in electricity prices on large projects before the costs increased. In the US, it overestimated the federal government tax credits. It is now trying to raise $16.1 bln by the end of the decade by selling stakes in wind farms and other assets.

The tender for three wind farms didn’t offer subsidies or fixed prices like some others in Europe and in the UK. That left developers susceptible to market prices that can hit zero or even turn negative when conditions are windiest. Danish company Orsted also cited high interest rates, inflation and supply-chain bottlenecks as reasons for not bidding.

French officials are drawing up plans for an interest-free loan to state-owned power utility EDF to finance six new nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 10 GW that will cost over €50 bln. The plans include a long-term guaranteed price for the power generated, known as a contract for difference (CfD) and needs to be cleared by the European Commission.

All 13 projects were planned in areas directly opposite the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The wind turbines emit radar echoes that could disrupt sensors that detect incoming cruise missiles, cutting the warning time from 2 minutes to 60 seconds. The electricity demand in Sweden could more than double by 2045 and expansion of wind power is still a priority.

Russia controls 40% of the global enrichment market. Western industrial groups such as Orano and Urenco could replace the Russian supplies by next decade, but will only invest in new capacities, if they have long-term contracts. Sanctions on Russia are not enough, as Russia is selling to China, which is selling its own enriched uranium globally.

Amazon will finance four “small modular reactors” and take a stake in X-energy, an SMR developer. Google has agreed to buy power from SMRs by Kairos Power. Microsoft agreed a 20-year power purchasing deal with Constellation Energy. The tech industry’s dash for nuclear reflects in part the take-off of power guzzling artificial intelligence.

US microreactor developer Last Energy will invest £300 mln into a nuclear power station at the site of the old Llynfi coal-fired power station in Wales. The four 20 MW pressurised water reactors can be fabricated, transported and assembled on site within 24 months. The company has reached commercial agreements for 80 units worldwide.

Google has ordered 6-7 small modular nuclear reactors, each with a 75MW capacity, from Kairos Power to provide electricity for its data centres. Kairos has received a construction permit from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a 50MW demonstration reactor. This was the first approval for a new type of reactor in the US in 50 years.

A bespoke financial instrument would give investors a stake in the nuclear power station. Its total cost is £47.9 bln. The first reactor will be operational with a 5-year delay in 2030. EDF is in talks with sovereign wealth funds and large infrastructure funds like Centrica. The costs and the long timescales for nuclear projects make it difficult to attract investors.

An oversupply of solar power in Spain, at times, pushes prices below zero. This reduces profitability and it means that some projects may not be built. Batteries can absorb excess generation during the day and distribute it at night, but only 3.8% of the 76 GW of planned projects are co-located with batteries. The cost of batteries is not addressed in the article.

The venture is developing a new production method for high-assay low-enriched uranium (Haleu), which is more powerful than standard nuclear fuel and is used in small modular reactors. Currently, only Russia and China have the infrastructure to produce large volumes of Haleu. Peter Thiel has also backed the nuclear fusion start-up Helion.

Nuclear power projects prove too tricky to fund through normal project financing methods. Upfront costs are high and construction is lengthy. If the company set up to construct the project defaulted, a half-built nuclear plant would be pretty worthless as security. The interest lenders would demand for that level of risk would simply make projects unviable.