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The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cost Calculator

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By scooby
Great new feature we've just launched. It's a very cool new interactive that provides a nuanced look at the economic costs of nuclear power
​ (link below)​
. Developed over the last two years in a partnership between the Bulletin and the University of Chicago, the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cost Calculator estimates the cost of electricity produced by three configurations of the nuclear fuel cycle:

​* ​
The once-through fuel cycle used in most US nuclear power plants, in which uranium fuel is used once and then stored for later disposal.
​* ​
A limited-recycle mode in which a mix of uranium and plutonium (that is, mixed oxide, or MOX) is used to fuel a light water reactor.
​* ​
A full-recycle system, which uses a fast neutron spectrum reactor that can be configured to “breed” plutonium that can subsequently be used as either nuclear fuel or weapons material.

This online tool lets users test how sensitive the price of electricity is to a full range of components—more than 60 parameters that can be adjusted for the three configurations of the nuclear fuel cycle considered. The results provide nuanced cost assessments for the reprocessing of nuclear fuel and can serve as the basis for discussions among government officials, industry leaders, and public interest groups.

​I hope you can check out this terrific new feature at the Bulletin. ​
If you have any questions about the Calculator, please let me know!
​
Janice​

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cost Calculator: http://thebulletin.org/nuclear-fuel-cycle-cost-calculator

-- 
Janice Sinclaire
Communications

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