Maybe nuclear power isn't so bad after all

Capital costs are actually one of the major reasons it is so much more expensive. Governments subsidize the costs with grants and write offs, which artificially deflates the total cost of Nuclear power. Also seems that the actual costs have been mislead. According to the 2009 independent cost analysis of Nuclear Energy in America ( business risks and costs of nuclear power ) The actual current cost for the US market is actually three times more than the current US energy rates cost.

Generation costs/kWh for new nuclear (including fuel & O&M but not distribution to customers) are likely to be from 25 - 30 cents/kWh. This high cost may destroy the very demand the plant was built to serve. High electric rates may seriously impact utility customers and make nuclear utilities’ service areas noncompetitive with other regions of the U.S. which are developing lower-cost electricity.

reply to post by WolfofWar


Apparently the economic studies I posted were done before there were significant cost increases in nuclear construction.

This is a quote from and MIT study “The Future of Nuclear Power”:

Only with a combination of very high carbon taxes and several “plausible but unproven” possibilities to reduce nuclear power costs did the study find the cost per kWh of nuclear power could be competitive with coal or natural gas

The conclusion was that the only way nuclear power projects can continue is through Government Guaranteed Loans. Ie. government involvement and guarantees that no other segment of the power generation industry enjoys.

No wonder the Obama administration now favors new nuclear power! It simply means larger government with more power, something Obama wanted all along!