>From: Jim Torson >Newsgroups: gmane.science.general.global-change >To: [email protected] >Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2008 8:53 PM >Subject: [Global Change: 2709] Nuclear power, Part 2: The price is not >right > >Posted on Joe Romm's Climate Progress blog... > >http://climateprogress.org/2008/06/13/nuclear-power-part-2-the-price-is-not-right/
It is true that nuclear power is expensive (now), and is getting more expensive as raw material and construction costs are rising. The same is true of every other base-load electric power generating technology, but coal and gas are still relatively cheaper under current conditions. All of that changes when carbon emissions are priced into power generating decisions: at $45 per ton, nuclear becomes the least-cost option if natural gas prices are high and construction costs low; at $85 per ton, nuclear becomes the least-cost option if natural gas prices are low and construction costs are high. If we are serious about controling CO2 emissions, we can expect the cost of electricity to rise. Prices might be lower with subsidies: carbon tax revenue or proceeds from emission credit sales can (and should) be re-invested in low-emission technology to lower its cost to consumers. The May 2008 Congressional Budget Office report gives an impartial analysis of nuclear power economics in the US, if anyone is interested. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/91xx/doc9133/05-02-Nuclear.pdf -dl --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Global Change ("globalchange") newsgroup. Global Change is a public, moderated venue for discussion of science, technology, economics and policy dimensions of global environmental change. Posts will be admitted to the list if and only if any moderator finds the submission to be constructive and/or interesting, on topic, and not gratuitously rude. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/globalchange -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
