US national and regional impacts of nuclear plant life extension

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5026432

Makovich, L; Forest, L; Fletcher, T

The US will need new sources of electricity in the early 21st century due to retirement of much of the nation's generating capacity. Almost all of the US nuclear capacity would be included in those retirements if, as originally expected, the nuclear units were shut down and decommissioned as the operating licenses expired between 2005 and 2025. However, given the large demands for new capacity during that period, nuclear plant life extension (NUPLEX) -- the extension of operating life beyond the original license period -- needs to be considered as an electricity source. This study assesses the benefits and costs of NUPLEX relative to the anticipated competing sources of electricity supply in the early 21st century. We find that NUPLEX yields large net benefits under a wide range of plausible economic conditions. This study associates net benefits with electricity cost savings, thereby abstracting from speculative reliability considerations. To illustrate the effects of uncertainty, the study assesses NUPLEX net benefits under varying assumptions on NUPLEX investment costs and other future economic conditions.

• Research Organization: DRI Energy Service, Lexington, MA (USA); DRI Project and Product Consulting, Washington, DC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 5026432
• Report Number(s): SAND-87-7136; ON: DE88007317
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210700* -- Nuclear Power Plants-- Regulation & Licensing
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
292000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Supply
Demand & Forecasting
293000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Policy
Legislation
& Regulation
CAPACITY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COST
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMIC IMPACT
ECONOMICS
ELECTRICITY
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
LICENSING
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
POWER DEMAND
POWER GENERATION
POWER PLANTS
REACTOR LICENSING
RECOMMENDATIONS
REGIONAL ANALYSIS
REGULATIONS
SERVICE LIFE
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
USA