[londons_explore]

Isn't the point that it makes no financial sense to ever turn it down?

You still need the same number of staff supervising. Still the same interest costs on the huge bank loan to build it. Still the same maintenance intervals, etc.

Might as well leave it at full power if there is any use whatsoever for the produced energy. Even if there isn't, using the energy to warm up the ocean avoids thermal cycling of the reactor core and therefore reduces maintenance.

[toomuchtodo]

If you sell power into the power market at 0 or negative prices, you’re not only paying the fixed costs, you’re paying someone to take the power. Renewables can easily curtail, they simply stop producing power when commanded to (typically based on market pricing signals).