Hydro is completely unlike Nuclear Power.
The MAIN POINT about Hydro is that you can use it to produce as well as store power, as required to balance the Grid.
Hydro is there to complement Renewables, to balance the different between peak output and low output.
It does nothing for a Reactor that has be kept online, because it takes a long time to power down and up again.
Hydro, as well as any other energy storage, is desirable for investors, because you can do electricity arbitrage with them.
You can't with Nuclear Power, small or otherwise.
I'd just like to add about this post that just because you have a hydroelectric dam, does not mean you will use it for pumped storage.
For example China had 390.9 GW of hydro power in 2021, of which only 36.4GW was pumped storage. This makes sense in somewhere like China, as dams have been built on great rivers that are immensely suited to this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity_in_China
They plan to build far more in the future, but pumped storage is a mature technology, and barring some ideal geography, won't get cheaper.
My point was that a hydro dam can provide baseload supply in somewhere like China, as they can provide a constant supply. Even if they vary through the year:
https://www.reuters.com/business/en...d-boost-after-heavy-rains-maguire-2024-05-08/
Although they aren't so renewable, owing to silting. Among other issues.
Here in the UK, we have gone for gas to provide a portion of our baseload, even though they can be ramped up and down as well, to meet demand. Nuclear would be far better to supply such baseload, and we have new plants planned. The political will has to be there to ramp this up, and ensure they can break soil in a timely fashion.
We also use gas to respond to demand as well of course, as well as wind/solar.
If you don't mind the ecological impact of hydroelectic projects, then they're great though.
BTW, I've just heard that our wind turbine factory in Hull is struggling to meet demand, and is losing money. I say this with no delight, as it is a major employer, and I would like to see more turbines on or off shore.
