Comparison of recent estimates of future coal and nuclear power plant generating costs

Technical Report · Thu Jan 31 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6842371· OSTI ID:6842371

Watts, L C; Prince, B E

A comparison was made of four recent independent assessments of nuclear and coal plant generating costs, with plant startup occurring in the 1986-1990 time frame. The sources of the four estimates were United Engineers and Constructors, Inc. (UEC), Bechtel, Sargent and Lundy Engineers, and Stone and Webster Corporation. The capital-cost estimates for nuclear plants, expressed in 1979 dollars, ranged from a low of $876/kW(e) given by UEC, to a high of $1020/kW(e) given by Stone and Webster. For coal plants, the analogous estimates range from a low of $647/kW(e) (UEC) to a high of $806/kW(e) (Bechtel). The magnitude of generating costs, expressed in mills/kWh, depends precisely on how inflation is treated in the cost calculations. Alternate methods of accounting for inflation are discussed in the attached report. Levelized generating costs obtained from the four sources are broken down into capital, operation and maintenance, and fuel components. These levelized costs are referenced to a 1979 startup point, but account for all cost escalations expected to occur during the plant operating life. The analogous costs on a deflated basis, using an approximate method for removing the effects of general inflation over the plant life, are expressed. The UEC total levelized generating cost estimates of 78 mills/kWh for coal and 67 mills/kWh for nuclear plants were found to be the highest of the four assessments. This was due mainly to assumptions concerning the average role of escalation of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ and coal prices.

• Research Organization: Union Carbide Corp., Oak Ridge, TN (USA). Nuclear Div.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6842371
• Report Number(s): K/OP-273
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
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29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290600 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
294001 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Coal
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CAPITALIZED COST
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COST
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FORECASTING
FOSSIL FUELS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
FUELS
INFLATION
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
OPERATING COST
POWER GENERATION
POWER PLANTS
START-UP
THERMAL POWER PLANTS