The Wall Street Journal
Costs to Build Power
Plants Pressure Rates
By REBECCA SMITH
Construction costs for power plants have more than doubled
since 2000, according to new index data to be released Tuesday, and
inflationary pressures will continue to put the squeeze on electricity prices.
The findings are bad news for consumers and utilities
alike, and help explain why power-plant development has become something of a
quagmire in the
The analysis comes in the form of a price index from
Cambridge Energy Research Associates Inc., a research and consulting firm in
"Costs for labor, materials, equipment and design and
engineering -- all are up," said Candida Scott, senior director of cost
and technology for CERA. As a result, the cost of building new plants is up 19%
from a year ago and up 69% from 2005.
The skyrocketing price tag comes as the world is roiled by
surging electricity demand and as it weathers various supply disruptions, some
caused by what appear to be changing weather patterns.
In all, CERA says, the construction of new generating
capacity that would have cost $1 billion in 2000 would cost $2.31 billion if
construction began today.
According to the index, all types of power plants are
feeling the pinch. Components and construction materials for nuclear power
plants scored the biggest run-up in costs, up 173% -- nearly tripled -- since
2000. Most of that increase has taken place since 2005. Costs for turbines used
to generate wind power more than doubled, at 108%, and natural gas-fueled and
coal-fired plants saw their capital costs nearly double, up 92% and 78%,
respectively.
If anything, the index likely minimizes the rising cost of
building power plants, because it doesn't factor in financing costs, and it
doesn't include fuel costs. But as prices for coal, natural gas and uranium
have risen, they have put added pressure on the operating costs of many
companies, and those increases are pushing up electricity prices, too.
The upshot, Ms. Scott said, is that prudent utility
regulators should make sure they are basing future decisions on data that are
updated frequently, because even calculations less than a year old can be
dangerously out of date.
One practical consequence of the inflationary pressures is
that they make it harder for plant developers, such as utilities, to lock in
prices as part of big projects. The longer the time period involved in
construction, the bigger the risks inherent in any fixed-price contracts.
Instead of paying for "time and materials," many firms are seeking
contracts in which prices are tied to various indexes.
In some states, utilities are rolling out big programs to
install millions of "smart" electric meters in the belief they will
help cut electricity consumption and reduce the need for new power plants. Oncor, a big utility in
The CERA report underscores the tough choices facing
utilities and regulators. Both are interested in finding the technology that
will be most affordable. That is especially difficult, since big power plants
often remain in service 40 to 60 years.
One commodity whose cost has risen markedly is steel, a important material for building both power-plant
structures and power-generating equipment. The cost of iron ore, needed to make
steel, rose about 10% in 2007 but has surged 65% in recent months. Shortages of
coking coal, also needed to make steel, have been another problem in
A weak dollar also is a factor, since roughly 30% of
equipment needed by the
The analysis is of interest because it is difficult to get
solid cost data until after plants have been built. Even then, data aren't
always available.