nuclear-news

Nuclear power could be more costly than thought, The Hankyorheh, S. Korea, : Nov.12,2013  Analysis shows that if full range of costs is factored in, nuclear energy is not as low-cost an option as the gov’t says By Hwangbo Yeon, staff reporter

 A newreport suggests that nuclear power would lose its price competitiveness if taxes on power sources like coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) were collected more fairly and costs of transmission grid construction and social risks were assessed.

 If such a price structure is realized, it stands to undermine claims of the superior cost-effectiveness of nuclear power, which the government has used to argue for its expansion.

 The report on a price recalculation scenario for different power generation facilities was presented at a recent Power Industry Research Association seminar by Hanbat National University professor Cho Young-tak…….

The cost-effectiveness reversal becomes even more conspicuous when nuclear power accident risk costs and price variations from the introduction of shale gas are also factored in. The price of nuclear power rises from as low as 95 won to as much as 143 won when conditions such as damage payment costs (based on the compensation levels for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster in Japan) and a 25% drop in gas import costs due to shale gas are taken into account. This range is well ahead of the 88-102 won for coal and 92-121 won for LNG.