Environment & Energy
In reply to the discussion: Who Killed the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR)? [View all]Bob Wallace
(549 posts)I suspect those DOE numbers do include some subsidizes.
If the DOE used financing costs for nuclear builds with rates based on taxpayer loan guarantees rather than what non-guaranteed loans would cost then the price of nuclear is lowered due to subsidies. Without the government guaranteeing the loan the price of nuclear would rise several cents per kWh.
And if the DOE numbers did not include the value of taxpayer provided liability insurance then, again, the listed price of nuclear is too low.
Overall that nuclear price is probably four to nine cents per kWh too low, based on Union of Concerned Scientists' calculations.
Could be that non-subsidized solar is already cheaper than nuclear if we remove all the federal subsidies for nuclear. Probably several cents per kWh cheaper....