>>>Nuclear power is cost competitive with other forms of electricity generation, except where there is direct access to low-cost fossil fuels.
>>>Fuel costs for nuclear plants are a minor proportion of total generating costs, though capital costs are greater than those for coal-fired plants.
>>>In assessing the cost competitiveness of nuclear energy, decommissioning and waste disposal costs are taken into account.
During 1973 American population has grown from 211 million to almost 281 million, economy has grown about 50 percent, but their use of energy have grown only 10 percent. But their economic growth, however, have been fueled largely by electric power.Between 1973 and 1990, their GDP grew by about 50 percent. In the same period, electricity use grew by more than 58 percent. From this information, we can conclude that in order to meet the needs of their strong economy and their growing population, we must have reliable supplies of electric power. The nation's nuclear power plants produced 674 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 1996. This was more electricity than the entire country consumed in the early 1950s. Worldwide, there are 442 nuclear power plants at work, contributing about 19 percent of the world's electricity supply.
The relative costs of generating electricity from coal, gas and nuclear plants vary considerably depending on various locations. Coal is economically attractive in countries such as China, the USA and Australia. Gas is also competitive for base-load power in many places.Nuclear energy is, in many places, competitive with fossil fuel for electricity generation, despite relatively high capital costs and the need to internalize all waste disposal and decommissioning costs. If the social, health and environmental costs of fossil fuels are also taken into account, nuclear is outstanding.
The relative costs of generating electricity from coal, gas and nuclear plants vary considerably depending on various locations. Coal is economically attractive in countries such as China, the USA and Australia. Gas is also competitive for base-load power in many places.Nuclear energy is, in many places, competitive with fossil fuel for electricity generation, despite relatively high capital costs and the need to internalize all waste disposal and decommissioning costs. If the social, health and environmental costs of fossil fuels are also taken into account, nuclear is outstanding.