26.08.2015   Nuclear Reactors 1

United States

In the United States, fossil primary sources (mainly coal and gas) were used to generate more than 70% of electricity in 2008. About 19% of electricity was generated by nuclear power plants and about 6.5% by hydropower plants (see Figure 7.8).

Figure 7.8. Sources of electricity generation in the United States [7.4]

Gross electricity production (in TWh) by source in 2008

Other, 148.34

I

■——- Nuclear,

— “

Table 7.13. LUEC for SMRs and other technologies (electricity generation, the United States)

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Onshore wind

48.39-61.87

PWR-90SL, PWR-302TB, PWR-302TL, PWR-335TTL

70.47-91.31

PWR-90SL, PWR-302TB, PWR-302TL, PWR-335TTL

Offshore wind

101.02

PWR-90SL, PWR-125ML, PWR-302TB, PWR-302TL, PWR-335TTL

146.44

PWR-90SL, PWR-125ML, PWR-302TB, PWR-302TL, PWR-335TTL

Solar

136.16-215.45

All SMRs

202.45-332.78

PWR-35TB, PWR-90SL, PWR — 302TB, PWR-302TL, PWR — 335TTL

Biomass and biogas

32.48-53.77

PWR-90SL, PWR-302TL

63.32-80.82

PWR-302TB, PWR-302TL

In the US market, the nuclear option is competitive with other technologies for generating electricity (Table 7.13). Large reactors are more competitive than smaller ones. Although the NPPs with large reactors have smaller LUEC than SMRs, the latter could represent an attractive option in the case of a liberalised market (since they could be easier to finance, see the discussions in Sections 6.5 and 6.6) or for specific site conditions. Also, in the United States, there are other motivations than economics to develop SMRs (increasing exports of US companies, creation of jobs, replacement of small and medium size fossil plants, powering military bases, etc.) that are out of scope of the present report. More information could be found in [7.13].

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