Have lower operating costs for nuclear energy boosted demand for new capacity?

While nuclear power-generation operating costs have fallen 31.8% since 2012, other factors in the U.S. have made it challenging to sustain, much less expand, capacity. Extensions to the life of older plants, along with lower fuel and maintenance costs, have helped bring operating costs down. But 11 reactors have closed in the U.S. since 2013 due in part to weak public support for the sector. Disposing of waste remains an unsolved problem.

High upfront costs for new plants deter investors. Lazard, an investment bank, reports nuclear operating costs of $29/megawatt-hour for 2020. The bank estimates that on a "levelized" basis that factors in the cost of building new capacity, nuclear power costs at least $129/Mwh—making it more expensive than many fossil-fuel or solar sources. A 2008 study estimated the cost of a typically-sized new plant at between $6 billion and $9 billion.