Starting with an ACCERT estimate of about $7,200/kWe for a well-executed, first-of-a-kind U.S. AP1000, IAT lowers the estimate to about $5,000/kWe after accounting for conditions in China. CRT then lowers it to about $3,000/kWe by estimating the effects of repeat construction and other deployment learning, compared with a benchmark of about $2,500/kWe reconstructed from publicly available AP1000/CAP1000 data. Together, localization and learning explain approximately 90% of the estimated U.S.–China overnight capital cost gap; the remaining 10% may reflect differences in financing, project delivery, and costs outside the workflow’s current scope. NE-COST shows how these capital cost changes affect projected LCOE. The workflow provides a transparent basis for assessing which cost reduction mechanisms might apply to future U.S. deployments, including small modular reactors.
International Nuclear Cost Comparison Using an Integrated ACCERT Framework
This milestone report demonstrates an integrated workflow that uses ACCERT, the International Adjustment Tool (IAT), the Cost Reduction Tool (CRT), and NE-COST to explain differences in reactor construction costs and estimate their effect on the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE).