Merchant economics spell unhappy outlook for new nuclear, maybe for small units, too

摘要

The apparent collapse of two nuclear power projects in thenpast three weeks reflects the challenges that low electricity pricesnpresent for merchant reactor projects, which are expensivento build and increasingly difficult to justify as natural gas pricesnstay low and policymakers avoid carbon-emission regulations,nanalysts say. The challenges apply to existing nuclear units asnwell, some say, and some older, smaller units could be inducednto retire.