back to article South Carolina's abandoned nuclear reactors positioned to fuel the AI datacenter boom

Abandoned in 2017, a pair of incomplete South Carolina nuclear reactors may get a new lease on life due to the growing need to power AI datacenters. The VC Summer nuclear power plant in Jenkinsville houses a single reactor that came online in 1984, and two additional units that began construction in 2013 before being abandoned …

  1. Paul Herber Silver badge

    "... no corrosion other than surface rust ..."

    Scientists, engineers and chemists report a small amount of surface rust but accountants, lawyers and PR report that there is none.

    Who wins?

    1. John Robson Silver badge

      If it's genuinely surface rust then a little work with a wire wheel and some wd40 and there won't be any... so everyone wins.

    2. I am David Jones Silver badge

      Surface rust has become an expensive design feature so everybody wins!

      Well, not the buyer, obviously.

    3. Helcat Silver badge

      Depends on the type of rust.

      Yes, there are different types, forming under different conditions, with some being easy to remove and others being quite damaging.

      Surface rust sounds like the common 'orange' or red rust: Powdery, and brushes off easily. Doesn't cause much damage to the metal. So not really a concern. Indeed: That kind of rust would be expected and stuff just needs cleaning and polishing.

      Yes, Civil engineers deliberately allow rebar to rust before brushing off the excess and putting the rebar into concrete: It helps with adhesion. Black, flaking rust, however: That's bad news.

      1. Hurn

        Also depends on where the rust is

        There's rust on Chain Link fence, surrounding the site

        There's rust on rebar, sticking out of concrete

        There's rust on the inside of primary coolant piping (or worse, Main Coolant Pumps), assuming any was laid.

        Where 'da rust at?

    4. Jou (Mxyzptlk) Silver badge

      > Who wins?

      Those who are FAR FAR away from that plant when it starts. Other side of pond preferred (where I am). "A bit of rust" is not so funny when I see those USCSB videos. It is the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board - I love those videos. Now imagine those with nuclear reactors.

  2. Throatwarbler Mangrove Silver badge
    Mushroom

    Best case scenario

    Tech giants sink billions of dollars into completing these nuclear projects, the AI bubble bursts, and there's a ton of nuclear infrastructure available for practical uses. However, since we live in the stupidest timeline, a more likely outcome is that regulatory capture prevents proper oversight of the construction and operation of these plants, and we see a nuclear catastrophe within 5 years of them going online.

    1. IGotOut Silver badge

      Re: Best case scenario

      Yes, because every fule noes that big guberment is bad. Leave it to the markets to decide what's best

    2. munnoch Silver badge

      Re: Best case scenario

      Move fast, break things ... ??

      1. Rob Daglish

        Re: Best case scenario

        That's certainly one way to describe nuclear fission reactions...

        1. bazza Silver badge

          Re: Best case scenario

          Strictly speaking it would be move slow and break things… If the neutrons are too fast you need a lot more plute. They escape far too soon from a smaller piece.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Best case scenario

            "If the neutrons are too fast you need a lot more plute. They escape far too soon from a smaller piece."

            And this is exactly what you will get when 'Cheap-Reactors 'R' Us' does a quick refurb and sells them to the latest 'AI' startup* trying to get a lead on the big names !!!

            *Sirius Cybernetics Corp ('AI' Division) has to start somewhere I guess !!!

            :)

    3. Mike Friedman

      Re: Best case scenario

      Or they bork the construction again. American utilities are notoriously bad at this.... enormous cost overruns are the norm an c few plants are built on time or budget.

  3. bazza Silver badge

    Buying a nuke plant is cheap sorta. Paying for the cleanup after is where the real money goes…

    1. Ian Johnston Silver badge

      The taxpayer will cover that, natch.

      1. bazza Silver badge

        Absolutely. Now, if only there were a way to get more tax revenue out of the billionaires pushing all this power demand...

  4. Jou (Mxyzptlk) Silver badge

    1986

    when they start it next year... 40 years later, other continent, 8400 km (5220 ml).

    Risk and possible cleanup taken by the country and people, not by the company.

  5. katrinab Silver badge
    Alert

    Are Westinghouse still around, as an actual company rather than some zombie brand that gets attached to various things?

    If it is designed to take things that are no longer available to be bought, then it is probably going to be cheaper to demolish what is there and start over.

    1. AVR Bronze badge

      They went bankrupt as a result of delays and cost overruns in their nuclear reactors (including the Summer units), but they're out of bankruptcy now if owned by a couple of other companies.

      1. collinsl Silver badge

        More info here and here from the Asianometry YouTube channel.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    These plants were abandoned because presumably they were uneconomical to supply electricity. What makes them economically viable now?

    Have AI datacentres pushed the needle of electricity cost to such a point that completing an abandoned nuclear power station is worthwhile? If that's true, why doesn't a third-party electricity supplier simply complete the project, and then sell the energy to the grid or anyone who will buy it?

    1. EvilDrSmith

      Speculating, but: "delays and contractor bankruptcy" caused initial abandonment of the project, but that was 7-8 years ago.

      Since then, there may have been changes in the local energy supply and demand - other older power plants may have shut down, other industries may already have moved in, pushing up power demand and thus the price of electricity.

      Political altitudes may also have changed - could be that there was opposition to nuclear power in the area 8 years ago that made some contractors that might have taken over the job reluctant to get involved, but altitudes have now changed.

      I suspect most likely it's just that the expansion in data centres, plus general increase in demand for electricity, has led to a realisation that new power stations are required, leading to various companies looking to see how they can get a lot of additional power generation operating as quickly as possible - which is a roundabout way of saying, you are probably right - in practice, once completed, these power stations will sell power to whoever wants to buy it.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    New nuclear is one of the most expensive generation sources there is per MWh though.

  8. Nickvaughn01

    I think part of those stored parts made it to Vogtle 3 and 4. If they are looking for a buyer, who will want to sink 25 billion in it, Southern Co/Nuclear? Not sure their customers want to pay any more at this point. No general contractor is going to do a hard bid, it's going to be T&M. Probably Bechtel for the General but maybe not. It may not even get that far but we could use more nukes!!! The power is needed and the AP 1000 works.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The bubble will have popped long before they come online.

  10. stiine Silver badge

    If they do that, where will they film the sequel to "The Abyss" ?

  11. ecofeco Silver badge
    FAIL

    LOL I can already see the future news

    Nuke plants are bought and refurbishment begins.

    Within five years AI bubble pops and plants are half completed. Projects abandoned. Lots of money burned. Prices to customers go up.

    Some wits decide at least one or two should be completed anyway. Prices to customers keep going up.

    5 more years and plants found to have serious flaws and massive financial fraud. Prices to customers go up again.

    5 more years and plants completed, but unable to operate at full capacity due to some of the previous flaws not corrected and never will be. Price... well, you should know by now.

    Tech and fin tech douche bros announce newest shiny plan! Everyone forgets previous debacle.

    I've seen this movie. Many times. Many, many goddamn times.

  12. TVU

    One of the interesting things is that the big data companies want nuclear power stations and not fossil fuel plants so the CO2 emissions from Trump's "Drill, baby, drill!" policy will be lessened.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Aside from operator error a lot of the problems and many of the additional unforeseen costs running nukes at least in the colonies has been done to construction.

    For the most part construction companies in the US are used to bodging things together to save costs and unfortunately nukes are particularly sensitive to this.

    Maybe the US should hire the French as they seem to be able to setup reactors for everyone and even have a workable disposal method.

    1. Jou (Mxyzptlk) Silver badge

      > a workable disposal method.

      Please be so kind to elaborate in great detail on the French disposal method.

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