It is better to spend more on capital than operational costs if one actually wants the world to change not just ideal along.
The best cost control is in large part doing lots of cookie-cutter work, hence the focus on small modular reactors. It is better to do those, and then ramp up the "small" part over time.
Likewise, we should construct lots of rail simultaneously with ramp up to improve those supply chains too.
But at no point do you want to spend more on fuel in any global optimal sense. That is just wasteful. It's not like we are actually uncertain that we won't need way more electricity production on a societal scale.
I agree that we are going to need more power generation as electricity replaces other forms of energy.
But for any given level of electricity generation, doing it in a cheaper way is still better than doing it in a more expensive way. For one thing, it allows capacity to be increased for the same cost.
The pricing is non-linear, both in terms of total output (due to economies of scale if done right) and especially in terms of share (are their fossil fuel PPs to cheaply fill in gaps).
It is better to spend more on capital than operational costs if one actually wants the world to change not just ideal along.
The best cost control is in large part doing lots of cookie-cutter work, hence the focus on small modular reactors. It is better to do those, and then ramp up the "small" part over time.
Likewise, we should construct lots of rail simultaneously with ramp up to improve those supply chains too.
But at no point do you want to spend more on fuel in any global optimal sense. That is just wasteful. It's not like we are actually uncertain that we won't need way more electricity production on a societal scale.