These large transformers–higher capacity LETs costing $7,500,000 can weigh up to 410 tons each, and be 56 feet wide, 40 feet long, and 45 feet high, which causes its own transportation and delivery problems–and current wait time from order to delivery is 3 years.

Currently each LET is custom built, with average factory output of perhaps 50 such LETs per year.

In addition, most LET manufacturers are overseas–leading manufacturers are in Switzerland, Germany, and the U.S. (GE, with only 15% market share) with others in China, India, and Japan. *

Bottlenecks to production include access to rare types of steel.

You can imagine that if a massive EMP fried the LETs in our electrical grid, hell, in everyone’s electric grids, the chance of a timely replacement, or any replacement at all, would be nil.

* See
Department of Energy
https://www.energy.gov › sites › prod › files › Large Power Transformer Study – June 2012_0.pdf

and https://www.tdworld.com/grid-innovations/distribution/news/55246941/doe-releases-report-for-distribution-transformers-in-electrical-power-grid

One of the events kicking off the stories of “The End of the World As We Know It” (TEOTWAWKI) science fiction genre is often an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP).

An (EMP)–either generated by a few nuclear weapons detonated high in the atmosphere, or occurring naturally via a massive storm of radiation, a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), from our sun–would destroy all electronics, and plunge our increasingly electronic civilization into chaos, anarchy, violence, and massive deaths, as all communication, electrical power generation and transmission systems are destroyed, all computers, ignition systems and cell phones are fried, the banking system down, “just in time” deliveries of food and medicines stop being delivered, pacemakers are fried, water and sewer systems stop running, the lights go out, the heat stops, the toilets don’t flush, all aircraft fall from the sky, cars don’t start, all modern transportation just becomes unmovable junk, and virtually every other feature of modern civilization stops functioning–as we are immediately thrown back into, say, the pre-electricity horse and buggy technology of the 18th century.

It appears that some small steps have reportedly been taken by some governments to “harden” parts of some systems against this threat, but such very expensive efforts are apparently far from comprehensive.

Destructive solar storms of this magnitude have happened in the past, and hit the Earth, the most recent the “Carrington Event” of September 1859, which impacted the few devices which then relied on electricity–the newly invented telegraphs overheated, shooting out sparks, starting some fires, and their associated wires overheated as well, developing coronas.

Had this happened today, it would have been catastrophic.

Many of these currently unpredictable solar storms have happened in the past, and the linked article details research discovering evidence of such a massive solar storm, a “Miyaki event,” which took place in 12,350 B.C–one of the six such massive solar storms which have been identified, so far, to have taken place since 12,350 B.C.–this one producing solar particles 500 times greater than the previous record, recorded by a satellite in 2005.*

Our vulnerability to these unpredictable solar storms is one of the reasons for calls by people like Elon Musk and the late Stephen Hawking for us to get off this very vulnerable planet, and to establish other population centers elsewhere in our solar system, and beyond.

* See https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/05/23/ice-age-solar-storm-shock-trees-hold-14k-year-old-secret-that-could-crash-tech-today/

In addition to the fine work being done by Robert Bryce, Jack Devanney, of The Gordian Knot Group (GKG), [ https://gordianknotbook.com ] has just released his new book [$26] on pursuing nuclear power as the net cheapest energy alternative even to natural gas, which remains suitable for selected situations.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Nuclear-Cheap-Again/dp/B0F32KLXRJ/ref=sr_1_1
How We Can Make Nuclear Cheap Again Paperback – March 30, 2025; by Jack Devanney.
[I just ordered my copy, and I even remembered to order it via Neo’s Amazon portal! ]

A 42 MB pdf file from 2024 with similar info is also available for download:
https://gordianknotbook.com/download/why-nuclear-power-has-been-a-flop/

It is not clear to me that the GKG efforts had any role in Trump’s decisions to promote nuclear energy today. But they did try to get their message to Sec’y Wright. The video of the oval office EO signings I watched suggested Trump had some decent background information on the issues with the NRC’s limiting nuclear power development/ implementations. But he manages to sound knowledgeable with even just a little briefing on some topics, plus he has his own ideas about many things.

https://commoncts.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-vince-show-another-world-leader.html

Thanks for sharing that. Truly great news!

Quite so.
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Hungry for Energy, Amazon, Google and Microsoft Turn to Nuclear Power

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/16/business/energy-environment/amazon-google-microsoft-nuclear-energy.html