Top all-time · #6241
Sam Dumitriu
Personal blog · samdumitriu.comeconomicspoliticsbusiness
Sam Dumitriu writes Notes on Growth, a personal blog at samdumitriu.com about economics, politics and business. Since 2023, 13 different Hacker News readers have linked it 16 times, most often “UK's infrastructure is too expensive: Railways, Trams, and Roads all cost more”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-10-23, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (5) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers link Sam Dumitriu's posts on infrastructure costs, comparing what nuclear plants and other projects cost in the UK, US, France and Asia, and why UK projects are expensive.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 5 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Markets, tech and policy.
Most-linked posts?
- UK's infrastructure is too expensive: Railways, Trams, and Roads all cost more3 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2023-08-26
- I’m a skills sceptic, and maybe you are too2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2023-06-05
- Legalise AC2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2025-06-30
- /p/infrastructure-costs-nuclear-edition2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2023-12-31
- How to get new nuclear built faster2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2024-01-17
What Hacker News says?
Since the OT is about EU, it is important to keep in mind that costs per MW are much lower in EU than in the US (or the UK). E.g. according to https://www.samdumitriu.com/p/infrastructure-costs-nuclear-e... , UK/US is ~10 millions GBP, France ~4.5, and China/Korea/Japan around 2.5. I don't know much about nuclear plan, but I doubt UK are much safer in practice than French ones, or even Korean/Japanese ones. I suspec…
Comment linking /p/infrastructure-costs-nuclear-edition
on “EU court rules nuclear energy is clean energy”Submitted Visiting the most expensive nuclear station as a story · 50 points
HN discussionBecause the regulatory environment is different in different countries, and can be changed with political will? The US is particularly expensive: https://www.samdumitriu.com/p/infrastructure-costs-nuclear-e... but it doesn't have to remain that way.
Comment linking /p/infrastructure-costs-nuclear-edition
on “First new U.S. nuclear reactor since 2016 is now in operation”Submitted How to get new nuclear built faster as a story · 36 points
HN discussionThis is a great look at why UK infrastructure is so expensive: https://www.samdumitriu.com/p/britains-infrastructure-is-too... TLDR: Because they always try to do innovative things rather than just copy tried-and-tested methods from other countries.
Comment linking /p/britains-infrastructure-is-too-expensive
on “Coventry Very Light Rail”Submitted Legalise AC as a story · 5 points
HN discussion> expanding supply of healthcare you are taking resources away from somewhere else This is totally wrong. It takes 5 years to get planning approval in UK, it takes 1 year in France. Tunnelling costs are 3x higher in Uk than in europe. Building a tram takes 3 times less. Lower Thames crossing has been in planning for 15 years and we have spent 300 million on lawyers, more than Norway has spent on building an actual t…
Comment linking /p/britains-infrastructure-is-too-expensive
on “Insurers rely on doctors whose judgments have been criticized by courts”Submitted Legalise AC as a story · 3 points
HN discussionThis is a great edition of the BBC radio programme In Our Time, about how the engineer Joseph Bazalgette was given the task of building proper sewerage for London after the "Great Stink" of 1858. It's remarkable how much more positive people were about large-scale engineering projects like this, and the participants in the show remark on that (although I do wonder if there were many working class people who hated th…
Comment linking /p/britains-infrastructure-is-too-expensive
on “Isambard Kingdom Brunel”Submitted UK's infrastructure is too expensive: Railways, Trams, and Roads all cost more as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Will Labour's New Towns Succeed? as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted How red tape holds back nuclear power in Britain as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Infrastructure Costs: Feedback and future posts as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted How to get new nuclear built faster as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted Brits are less productive because it is too hard to build stuff as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted I’m a skills sceptic, and maybe you are too as a story · 1 points
HN discussion