[biblewonk]

Do you have a source for the .521, because my sources have it higher?

[m1-lightning]

An excerpt from an AP news story... According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)...Duke Power's nuclear fuel costs averaged .431 cents per kilowatt-hour across all three plants...Duke Power's fuel costs were the lowest of any U.S. nuclear system.

The data shows...the median of .498 cents per kilowatt-hour in 1999. In 1998...the median of .521 cents per kilowatt-hour.

In other words, one possible benchmark of fusion power status is that it should have a fuel cost in the range of .5 cents per KWh. As fission plants become more economical, that figure should drop. Obviously this is a hypothetical discussion, and fuel cost would be only one aspect of total cost.

The .521 was based on fuel costs alone. Add the cost of production and it's 1.83 cents per KWH total as of 2001, still considerably lower than wind energy. As a comparison, coa; plants average 2-3 cents per KWH, still better than the best wind generator. These numbers were based on the NEI and NMC calculations.