[DungeonMaster]

Then explain why they are both the lowest cost power generators with the highest capacity and availability factors.

High availability means nothing if they ever shut down. The minute they shut down they must be backed by something else.

Their cheapness is a matter of quite a bit of contention too.

[Ditto]

High availability means nothing if they ever shut down. The minute they shut down they must be backed by something else.

Name one form of generation that "never" shuts down because of maintenance or malfunction. The fact is, US nuke plants have higher availability and capacity factors (~90%) than coal, oil or gas-fired plants.

Their cheapness is a matter of quite a bit of contention too.

The average electricity production cost in 2005 for nuclear energy was 1.72 cents per kilowatt-hour, for coal-fired plants 2.21 cents / kWh, for oil 8.09 cents / kWh, and for natural gas 7.51 cents / kWh.