Trump’s Nuclear Bailout Won’t Happen: Get Out Of Nuclear Investments, Seeking Alpha, Ezra Weener,
Summary
The nuclear and coal industries are dying.
Natural gas and the growing renewable industries are making nuclear energy economically inefficient and a money-losing proposition.
Trump has ordered energy secretary Rick Perry to find a way to revive these industries citing “national security” and “resilience”.
Despite many positives for these industries, some potential bailout plans negatively impact the free market; regulators have pushed back intensely, and it is unlikely anything significant will be done.
Investing in uranium miners or nuclear power plants based off the possibility of a bailout would be a huge mistake.
Over the last 7 years, the nuclear and coal industries have been getting killed. The spot price of uranium has dropped around 65% and made it basically impossible to economically mine, refine, and sell uranium. This comes from the U.S. and other countries moving away from nuclear power for fears of radiation, possible disasters, and a focus on renewables.
All this has made nuclear power harder to produce and increased the cost of production, while a boom in natural gas electricity production has lowered wholesale electricity selling prices to the point that it is no longer a properly viable source of power. As stated in DOE Staff Reports on Electricity Markets and Reliability,
“Flat demand growth, flattened supply curves, Federal and state policy interventions, and the massive economic shift in the relative economics of natural gas compared to other fuels are placing pressures on centrally-organized wholesale electricity markets, resulting in low average wholesale energy prices.”
This trend has continued to the point that over a quarter of U.S. nuclear power plants can’t even cover their own operating costs. This has caused many nuclear plants to close down, or at least start the process, having large effects on the grids they provide power to. …..https://seekingalpha.com/article/4184005-trumps-nuclear-bailout-happen-get-nuclear-investments