According to preliminary figures, nuclear plants generated approximately 807 billion kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity in 2007, exceeding by more than 2% the previous record-high of 788.5 billion kwh of electricity set in 2004.
Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) said that the 104 nuclear plants operating in 31 states also achieved a record-setting average capacity factor, a measure of online availability of power. The 2007 average of 91.8% surpassed the 2004 record of 90.1%.
The industry’s average electricity production cost, encompassing expenses for uranium fuel and operations and maintenance, also set a record low in 2007, the report said. The average production cost was 1.68 cents per kwh in 2007, bettering the previous low of 1.72 cents per kwh set in 2005.
NEI observed that 2007 marked the ninth straight year that the industry’s average electricity production cost has been below two cents per kwh, and the seventh straight year that nuclear plants have had the lowest production costs of any major source of electricity, including coal and natural gas-fired power plants.
