Future costs, nuclear power plant economics

It is clear that there is an enormous supply of available fuel for use in nuclear power plants. However, the future of nuclear power in the United States is by no means clear. Current problems with the further use of nuclear power in the United States include economics—costs for new nuclear power plants are above current market acceptability—and public acceptance, which may have moderated in recent years but remains to be tested. 

Practical Utilization, Since the potential reserves of 235U are limited, some point will be reached where this power source no longer will be competitive with fossil fuels, synthetic fuels, solar power plants, etc.—unless the development of means for the practical utilization of plutonium can be achieved. An important element of nuclear fuel cost is the credit received from the sale or future utilization of plutonium after its recovery from spent fuel. The plutonium credit is realistic only if the plutonium is used for power production, since, at present, there are few commercial uses envisioned where it would yield a similar economic return. 

In recent years, prices for many commodities and materials have been escalating at a very rapid rate. Two of these materials most relevant to new power plant construction are copper and concrete. Obviously, these cost increases in basic materials will greatly impact the costs of a variety of finished products, including the construction of nuclear plants and the manufacture of the fuel assemblies. In the following section, an attempt has been made to discuss the impacts of a number of items and issues on the present and future economics of electricity generated by nuclear power. 

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