The fuel is not that cheap; it’s getting more expensive due to market forces.
Considering that (effectively) the government (i.e., us) insures the nuclear industry from company-ending accidents, and that “accidents” are going to take more than a call to Servicemaster to clean up, we have a great interest in regulating them.
This doesn’t mean I’m against nuclear power. I’ve been in favor of it since it was going to be so cheap you wouldn’t even have a meter on your house. A lot of mistakes were made; if we “reboot” the industry, I wish they would settle on:
1. A “standard” , repeatable, modular design
2. Alternative fuel cycles (including thorium, we have lots, so does India, and they are going into this full-boat)
Fusion power, hot and cold, has been mentioned; this has been 20 years away for the last 50 years. It’s still worth perusing, but I wouldn’t bank on it.
Which are never affected by gooberment regulations.... Do I need to add the sarcasm tag?
It would be more expensive than gold, but you don't need nearly as much fuel as we have gold buried in the ground. In vaults.
You left out breeder reactors in fuel costs.
/johnny