I stopped looking at "levelized costs" because they're a bullshit measure.
I look at the cost of the plant in terms of construction, the power produced annually, nameplate power production, the capacity factor, and the cost of operation from actual output. Nuclear plants absolutely demolish solar and wind in terms of that. When you start adding in storage capacity and the need for redundant systems, solar and wind are so cost ineffective as to be insanely stupid to build.
I respect your knowledge on the topic, TA, but I wouldn't call it 100% BS. Maybe they lack accuracy. But
the whole industry lacks transparency and accurate accounting.
"Few disagree that the nuclear power industry, both in
Illinois and throughout the nation, is in worse shape than it was five or 10 years ago.
Study after study has shown that nuclear plants are bringing in far less revenue than they did a decade ago, largely as a result of declining electricity prices.
Some
three-quarters or more of the roughly 20 active nuclear plants in the Midwest and Northeast that sell electricity directly into power markets have either announced early retirements or are receiving financial credits to stave off early retirement, according to a review of public documents.
Yet there is
controversy over just how poorly nuclear plants are faring, and if they are faring poorly enough to have no choice but to close down or receive subsidies.
Normally, a simple examination of plant costs and revenues would clear this up. But as a rule
power generation companies don’t disclose plant-by-plant data, citing fiduciary obligations and the marketplace edge such information would give to rivals. That leaves outsiders to take nuclear companies at their word. (Exelon has said that it will let policymakers have a look at some plants’ detailed data upon request.)
This is where specially appointed “Independent Market Monitors” play a big role. By decree of the nation’s main energy markets authority, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), each of the seven regional electricity markets in the U.S. must be regularly reviewed to ensure they are fair and competitive. The companies that perform these reviews are called Independent Market Monitors (IMMs). They are typically private companies staffed by energy experts.
Each IMM produces dense, statistics-packed reports whose bottomline takeaways are relied upon by regulators and policymakers to craft market policies.
IMM reports have occasionally offered up powerful ammunition to
lawmakers seeking to counter the nuclear industry’s claims that it is losing too much money to keep plants up and running without subsidies. In New Jersey, one December 2017 report by an IMM — incidentally, the same IMM that oversees Exelon’s jeopardized nuclear plants in Illinois — said that energy company PSEG’s nuclear plants were in fact financially sustainable and not at risk of early retirement, contrary to PSEG’s claims. (
Lawmakers did eventually approve subsidies for the three plants despite the report’s finding, but they weren’t happy about it."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottc...disagrees-inside-the-dispute/?sh=71b081051785
Additionally, because it can take decades for investors to get any return on their money, interest rates are critical. A below fair market rate must be considered a subsidy.
And then there is the unresolved issue of permanent waste disposal. The $44 billion set aside is unlikely to cover it.