New CANES Reports

Update on the Cost of Nuclear Power

Yangbo Du and John E. Parsons (May 2009)

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Abstract. One of the contributions in the MIT (2003) Future of Nuclear Power study was an estimate of the levelized cost of electricity generated using a new nuclear power plant, and a comparison against the levelized cost from new coal or gas plants. For nuclear power, the cost of constructing a new plant accounts for the major portion of this levelized cost, and so estimating the overnight cost of construction is key. Since no nuclear plants had recently been built in the US, the MIT (2003) study provided useful data on the cost of recent builds in Japan and the Republic of Korea. This paper updates the calculations in the MIT (2003) study, primarily by adding further data on more recent builds in Japan and Korea, and by a careful analysis of the forecasted costs on some recently proposed plants in the US. Read more >>

Nuclear Hydrogen Using High-Temperature Electrolysis and Light-Water Reactors for Peak Electricity Production

Charles W. Forsberg and Mujid S. Kazimi (April 2009)

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Abstract. In a carbon-dioxide constrained world, the primary methods to produce electricity (nuclear, solar, wind, and fossil fuels with carbon sequestration) have low operating costs and high capital costs. To minimize the cost of electricity, these plants must operate at maximum capacity; however, the electrical outputs do not match changing electricity demands with time. A system to produce intermediate and peak electricity is described that uses light-water reactors (LWRs) and high-temperature electrolysis. At times of low electricity demand the LWR provides steam and electricity to a high-temperature steam electrolysis system to produce hydrogen and oxygen that are stored. Read more >>