Nuclear power economics

WUson Office Files, AEC/DOE AEC press release, 4 May 1962, AEC/NRC Appendix 7, "Information and Assistance from Organizations and Sources External to the Commission," Appendix 8, "Recommendations on Central Station Power Reactors by the General Advisory Committee," Appendix 1, "Fossil Fuel Resources of the United States," Appendix 3, "Overall Growth of Energy Requirements," in "Civilian Nuclear Power, Appendices to a Report to the President," printed in JCAE, committee print. Nuclear Power Economics—1962 through 1967, 90th Cong., 2d sess., 1968, pp. 244-246, 248-250, 171-199, 214-218. 

Philippe G. Jacques to Pierre Salinger, 29 Aug. 1962, White House Central FUes (Atomic Energy 1962), Kennedy Papers Schuldt to Bell, 24 Sept. 1962, draft memorandum. Bell to Kennedy, 12 Nov. 1962, File P7-2, Series 61.1a, Bureau of Budget Records "Civilian Nuclear Power—A Report to the President," 1962, in JCAE print. Nuclear Power Economics—1962 through 1967, pp. 99-167. 

The development and improvement of scientific-technical level of NDT and TD means for safety issues is connected with the necessity to find additional investments that must be taken into account at the stage of new technogenic objects designing, when solving new arising problems in social, economic, ecological and medical safety. It is not accidental, that the expenses for safe nuclear power plants operation cover 50% of total sum for construction work capital investments. That is why the investments for NDT and TD have to cover 10% of total amount for development and manufacturing of any product. 

Trends in commercial fuel, eg, fossd fuel, hydroelectric power, nuclear power, production and consumption in the United States and in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, are shown in Tables 2 and 3. These trends indicate (6,13) (/) a significant resurgence in the production and use of coal throughout the U.S. economy (2) a continued decline in the domestic U.S. production of cmde oil and natural gas lea ding to increased imports of these hydrocarbons (qv) and (J) a continued trend of energy conservation, expressed in terms of energy consumed per... 

R. L. Loftness, Nuclear Power Plants Design, Operating Experience and Economics, D. Van Nostrand Co. Inc., Princeton, N.J., 1964. 

J. Santucci and J. J. Taylor, Safety, Technical and Economic Objectives of the Electric Power Institute s didvancedTight-Water Reactor Programme, lAEA-SM-332/11.1, Proceedings of International Symposium on Advanced Nuclear Power Systems, Seoul, Korea, Oct. 1993. 

The use of nuclear power has been a topic of debate for many years. Nuclear fuel represents a resource for generating energy weU into the future, whereas economically recoverable fossil fuel reserves may become depleted. Worker exposure, injuries, and fataHties in nuclear fuel mining are reportedly far less compared to those associated with recovery and handling of fossil fuels. Potential hazards associated with transporting and storing radioactive wastes do exist, however. 

Process Water Purification Boiler feed water is a major process apphcation of RO. Sealants and colloids are particularly well rejected by membranes, and TDS is reduced to a level that makes ion exchange or continuous deionization for the residual ions very economic. Even the extremely high quahty water required for nuclear power plants can be made from seawater. The iiltra-high quahty water required for production of electronic microcircuits is usually processed starting with two RO systems operating in series, followeci by many other steps. 

The idea behind energy independence is that if all energy production occurs within a country s borders, then that country s economy will be insulated from any energy supply disruptions. The country would then have less unemployment and less economic decline if and when the world s energy exporters, especially OPEC members, cut their supplies. France, has developed a strong nuclear power industry so that it would not have to import as much oil... 

Natural gas also has an efficiency advantage in electricity generation. The economic and operational superiority of gas-fired combustion turbines and combined-cycle machines (and prospectively, the superiority of gas-powered fuel cells) relative to coal-and nuclear-powered steam turbines made the combination of natural gas and natural gas turbines the supply favorite of most electric utilities in the 1990s. 

The political problems with profound economic impact could include, for example, the significance of the continuing worldwide growth of nuclear power, with such issues as the use of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) and Plutonium obtained from tire dismantling of U.S. and former USSR nuclear weapons the urgency of nonproliferation the disposal of civilian and military nuclear waste nuclear power alternatives. 

We are optimistic that the world in 2030, while still heavily dependent on cleaner fossil fuel use, will be one in which growing demand for electricity as a preferred energy source, new inherently safe nuclear power designs, and dramatic improvements in the economics of renewable technologies and end-use efficiency, will provide a broad spectrum of clean, low-cost reliable electricity choices for the marketplace. 

By 2050 total energy demand may have increased by a factor of 2 or 3 from today s. So, in order to meet such a condition, carbon-fiee energy supply would have to have grown by a factor of nearly 15. In that time-span the only sources of carbon free energy are renewables, such as solar biomass and wind, sequestration (exclusion of C02 from the atmosphere) and nuclear fission. There is considerable debate, but no conclusion, how fat and how fast renewables might grow, but clearly, if economic and acceptable, here is a major potential opening for nuclear power. 

In evaluating options for obtaining the energy needed to sustain world economic progress in the coming years, it is important to consider the full spectrum of risks to the environment and to human health that each option may create or reduce. This is particularly important in evaluating nuclear power, where often attention has been disproportionately focussed on the presumed dangers. 

Where does nonproliferation stand in the myriad of institutional, regulatory, public acceptance, economic and, at times, even technical problems now affecting the future of the nuclear option Is the potential contribution of nuclear power activities to further proliferation seen by policy makers and, of equal importance, the public as a significant obstacle to its revival Or is it viewed as a potential benefit capable of reducing proliferation risks. 

It seems increasingly clear that the operating cost (operation and maintenance plus fuel costs) is very competitive with the same cost of its main competitors, coal-and gas fired plants. Therefore, the economic advantage of life extension is obvious, and also the clear trend to operate existing nuclear power plants on base load only. Even in France where there are too many nuclear plants to operate them all on base load, there is a trend to decrease the share of nuclear power in total production in view to operate eventually all... 

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