NUCLEAR POWER IS VIABLE

The world needs more electricity and less pollution. The goals

are not incompatible, but the solution will require better

management of demand, smarter use of coal as well as renewable

energy sources, and increased use of nuclear power, say John

Deutch and Ernest Moniz (both with the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology).

Comparing the costs of producing electricity from new nuclear,

coal and natural gas plants, a new MIT study focused on economic

cost, not regulated or subsidized cost. According to the study:

o The baseline cost of new nuclear power is 6.7 cents per

kilowatt-hour, compared to 4.2 cents for coal and natural

gas (when the price of gas is $4.50 per thousand cubic

feet).

o However, if a cost is assigned to carbon emissions --

either through a tax or some other way, as in a current

congressional proposal that would limit emissions but

allow companies to buy and sell the right to discharge

more pollutants -- nuclear power could become an

attractive economic option.

o For example, a $50 per ton carbon value, about the cost of

capturing and separating the carbon dioxide product of

coal and natural gas combustion, raises the cost of coal

to 5.4 cents and natural gas to 4.8 cents.

Nuclear power can make an important contribution to meeting the

world's growing electricity needs while helping to reduce carbon

emissions. But this contribution will be realized only if the

United States and other nations focus on making today's

technology work and avoid expensive advanced technologies that

involve reprocessing, which presents serious proliferation risks,

say the authors.

Source: John Deutch and Ernest Moniz, "Nuclear Power Can Work,"

New York Times, August 14, 2003; based on "The Future of Nuclear

Energy: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study," July 29, 2003,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

For text

For MIT study