Capital Needs and Policy Choices in the Energy Industries. Part 3.

摘要

Estimates of capital investments required for new productive capacity by the energy industries in the period 1974 to 1990, pending detailed estimates being developed in planning Project Independence, indicates problems that may inhibit the necessary flow of capital into new productive investment. Federal policy actions that will ameliorate these problems and facilitate capital investment are identified. The first three chapters describe past forces on energy demand and alternate forecasts, the capital investments estimated as necessary to meet these, and some of the key factors of risk which affect energy investment decisions today. The fourth chapter is a summary of a set of policy actions that will facilitate investment in the energy industries consistent with FEA policy objectives. The following chapters specifically discuss electric utilities, nuclear, coal, oil and gas, solar energy, and geothermal power.