How dare the private sector involve itself in ... power generation? Like I get healthcare/space travel/public transport/steel whatever, but if you aren't willing to accept the private sector from making green power during a global energy & climate crisis what are you willing to let it do?

[–] GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip 13 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Energy is infrastructure, and should thus not be in private hands.

The private sector should be left to provide services and manufacturing, things that don’t matter too much in case of bankruptcy or mismanagement. Things we can let fail without bailouts.

The energy sector is not that. Neither is food, water, housing, public transit, infrastructure, and probably not even internet at this point. Essentials to modern life and civilization.

[–] Ummdustry@sh.itjust.works 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Distribution is Infrastructure, hence why the national grid is the national grid, and should remain so. Generation is a bulk commodity, and having bulk commodities in the hands of government alone is not a good idea. If the UK government were the sole body with the right to generate electricity we would probably still be a coal powered nation.

You bring up food, but would you really want all farms nationalised? A total government monopoly on food production is the ideal in your mind?

If something is 'too big to fail', then it should be mixed, with both public options and private. Two points of failure are better than one. This way you do not need to bailout the private sector unquestioningly at every market scare, nor does the entire country collapse after a few years of government malice/incompetence. Imagine how much more damage the Tories would do if they had control of all 'Essentials to modern life and civilization' instead of just the relatively small slice currently done by government in the UK.

[–] BestBouclettes@jlai.lu 0 points 8 months ago

Power, especially nuclear power shouldn't be made with profits in mind. It should be a service not something that will line the pockets of a bunch of fucks that will inevitably want more money from the project and trade safety for dividends.

[–] Pantherina@feddit.de 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I guess its very cheap, then gov sponsored and suddenly gets veeery expensive and needs subsidies

[–] agressivelyPassive@feddit.de 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It's a project to funnel investor money into some other pockets.

These reactors always claim to be super cheap, but if you actually run the numbers, their own projected costs are almost double of what wind and solar deliver today. So you can be absolutely sure, this will be much more expensive than planned.

[–] Ummdustry@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 months ago

So dumb money funds my power bill, I fail to see the problem?