That being said, I could see passing certain demanding regulatory tests and designs in the US could add a significant amount, perhaps even a billion, but I would guess raw supplies and labour are cheaper to source in china as well?
Going rate at the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) is 250+ $/hour to just review documents which are several hundred thousand pages long.
'One of my key concerns was the effect on the schedules for new license applications – not only do applicants have to pay $273 for every regulator hour, but they have to pay the staff and contractors that they use to apply for permission and answer regulator questions. Longer licensing processes cost more in salaries and other overhead and they push potential revenue out into the future.'
That being said, I could see passing certain demanding regulatory tests and designs in the US could add a significant amount, perhaps even a billion, but I would guess raw supplies and labour are cheaper to source in china as well?