Nuclear power plant operating costs

The Safety Goal Policy Statement was published to define acceptable radiological risk IVom nuclear power plant operation, and by implication provide a de minimus risk to be assured without cost considerations. Safety beyond the minimum requires cost-benefit analysis. Since being promulgated, bulletins and generic letters have been imposed to enhance safety, under the provisions of 10 CFR 50.109, the Backfit Rule. 

The deregulation of Europe s power market does force nuclear power plant operators to introduce extensive cost-cutting measures in order to be able to compete within this new... 

The assessment of operational costs was based on utilities experience of nuclear power plant operation. A goal of EFR design is to avoid there being significant differences in operation and maintenance (O M) costs compared with PWRs, this intention being supported by a comparison of the number and complexity of the nuclear related systems and auxiliary plant. It is an established fact that radiation doses to operators are substantially lower in a fast reactor station than a PWR this has favourable consequences for O M costs. 

The Atomic Energy Act commands the Commission to ensure that nuclear power plant operation provides adequate protection to the health and safety of the public. In defining, redefining or enforcing this statutory standard of adequate protection, the Commission will not consider economic costs. However, adequate protection is not absolute protection or zero risk. Hence safety improvements beyond the minimum needed for adequate protection are possible. The Commission is empowered under section 161 of the Act to impose additional safety requirements not needed for adequate protection and to consider economic costs in doing so. 

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... 

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) is an industry lobbying group for nuclear power. Its studies show that nuclear production costs are lower than other central power sources, including coal. The NEI costs are 1.83 cents per kilowatt hours for nuclear, 2.07 cents for coal and 3.52 cents for natural gas. These are the plant operating costs. 

One of the many problems of nuclear power is the availability of fuel uranium-235 reserves are only about 0.7% those of the nonfissile uranium-238, and the separation of the isotopes is costly (Section 17.12). One solution is to synthesize fissile nuclides from other elements. In a breeder reactor, a reactor that is used to create nuclear fuel, the neutrons are not moderated. Their high speeds result in the formation of not only uranium-235 but also some fissile plutonium-239, which can be used as fuel (or for warheads). However, breeder reactors are more hazardous to operate than nuclear power plants. They run very hot, and the fast reactions require more careful control than a reactor used for nuclear power generation. Because of safety concerns, their use is still controversial. 

The advantages of nuclear power plants include the fact that they operate at a 90% capacity factor (loading). Also, 1 kg of natural uranium generates about as much electricity as 20,000 kg of coal. In contrast to fossil fuels, nuclear power does not contribute to global warming. In the past, the cost of... 

The size (generating capacity) of light-water nuclear power plants is usually twice that of their fossil counterparts or about 1.2 gW (1,200 mW). The plants life spans are in the range of 40 to 60 years, and their total cost includes not only construction and operation, but also waste disposal and decommissioning. Insurance costs can also be high because there have been cases when plants were not allowed to operate at all, for example, the ill-fated 5 billion Shoreham facility which was never allowed to operate. 

The capital cost of nuclear fission will have dropped significantly— especially compared with that of the then-dinosaur-technology coal-fired generation. (As one example, today the capital costs of Advanced Candu Reactors are in the range of 1000 per kilowatt [kW]—about the same as coal-fired plants.) But since the operating cost of a nuclear power plant will always be a small fraction of that for a coal-fired power plant, the energy currencies from nuclear plants will be lower. 

The success of natural gas as a clean fuel has greatly increased its consumption in power plant applications. Natural gas fueled power plants are significantly less costly to build than coal fired or nuclear power plants. They are also easier to operate so that they lend themselves to peaking operations in which they are only brought on stream when required and may sit idle the rest of the time. In principle, natural gas fired power plants are also cheaper to operate, but the increased demand for natural gas has rapidly increased feedstock prices in the U.S.A. in recent years. 

In considering a technology choice between gas and nuclear one should note that, while it is true that modern nuclear power plants can operate flexibly, generally nuclear power is much more likely to play a base-load role. This is primarily an economic rather than a technical matter owing to the more capital-intensive nature of the cost structure of nuclear generation and the very low variable costs. There is some evidence that nuclear power can supply short-term balancing services to compensate for sudden increases in wind output. 

Base load power plants have the lowest operating cost and generate power most in any given year. There are several different types of base load power plants and the resources available typically determine the type of base load plant used to generate power. Coal and nuclear power plants are the primary types of base load power plants used in the Midwest United States. 

---