10.105. The annual cost of operating a nuclear power plant is obtained by summing the contributions from the three main categories considered: capital (or plant investment), operation and maintenance, and fuel. Table 10.2 lists some values that are given here primarily for orientation and to indicate relative contributions. A construction cost of $2000/kW(el) has been assumed based on the $1500/kW(el) goal for advanced reactors (§15.22), with $500/kW(el) added for conservatism. Since these contributions have

changed significantly in the past from year to year, the current literature should be consulted.

10.106. We see that capital costs constitute the major contribution to the annual cost of generating electricity. Therefore, such fixed-cost param­eters as construction time and the cost of money greatly affect the cost of the generated electricity over the life of the plant. Furthermore, once the plant is built, the annual fixed-cost charge cannot be reduced by operating economies. However, the plant capacity factor, the fraction of rated ca­pacity experienced (§10.44), has an important bearing on the fixed costs per unit of energy produced. Therefore, there is a major incentive to min­imize shutdown periods. Although fuel costs make a smaller contribution, they lend themselves to savings by efficient fuel management during the plant lifetime. Although less significant on a relative basis, operation and maintenance costs depend on efficient plant management.