Fig. 1.

Estimates of overnight cost elicited from sixteen nuclear power experts for each of five nuclear reactor deployment scenarios. (A) Each expert (A through P) provided estimates of the overnight cost per kilowatt of reactor capacity for each scenario. The details of the scenarios are noted on the horizontal axis. The solid line represents the Energy Information Administration’s 2011 estimate of the overnight cost of a dual-unit large light water reactor (LWR) plant (30). (B) For the four SMR-plant configurations, each of the estimates in A is multiplied by plant capacity to arrive at project cost. Expert M’s estimate included owner’s cost (i.e., costs that fall out of the vendor’s scope, such as site work, transmission upgrades, etc.).