Fusion Message Board

In this space, visitors are invited to post any comments, questions, or skeptical observations about Philo T. Farnsworth's contributions to the field of Nuclear Fusion research.

Subject: Fuel Costs and economics
Date:
Poster: Clay Codner

On , Clay Codner wrote:

An excerpt from an AP news story...
According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)...Duke Power's nuclear fuel costs averaged .431 cents per kilowatt-hour across all three plants...Duke Power's fuel costs were the lowest of any U.S. nuclear system.

The data shows...the median of .498 cents per kilowatt-hour in 1999. In 1998...the median of .521 cents per kilowatt-hour.

In other words, one possible benchmark of fusion power status is that it should have a fuel cost in the range of .5 cents per KWh. As fission plants become more economical, that figure should drop. Obviously this is a hypothetical discussion, and fuel cost would be only one aspect of total cost.