assumptions using 10 percent interesi and no inflation to arrive at comparably stated energy costs on the bottom part of the table. Though most of the estimates are taken from the WASH-1535 study in its various editions, two comparative estimates are available, one from the JPL-Berkeley study (Ref. A25) and the other from the ECON study (Ref. All). The problem of plutonium sales and fuel cycle costs is a severe one since, except for the Berkeley study, none of the available literature provides a comprehensive treatment of it. From the discussion in the Berkeley study together with the references to the yield of fissile plutonium per kilowatt provided in the WASH-1535 study, each kilowatt of power would generate approximately $72.26 worth of salable plutonium over the 30-year life span of the project. The mechanics of this calculation are summarized briefly in Exhibit 36 so as to render explicit the assumption used. It is of some interest to note that apparently the actual price of the sold plutonium or whether it is sold at all, has relatively little impact on the delivered cost of power. The third column in Exhibit 36 references a standardized assumption with no plutonium sale. This represents a total energy cost of approximately 15.6 mills which is only 0.3 mills higher than the immediately preceding column which is a standardized analysis assuming the sales of plutonium per the schedule shown in Exhibit 36. It therefore appears that this is not a major cost driver. Other aspects of fuel cycle costs, including shipment, fabrication, processing, reprocessing and disposal may be quite important to overall costs but any comprehensive consideration is beyond the technical scope of this limited cost comparison effort. As Exhibit 35 shows, there is a reasonably high degree of agreement between the Berkeley estimates, restated for the standard assumptions, the WASH-1535 final estimates for the 1993 IOC with a 1300-MWe capacity, and the ECON estimates stated. These three estimates, all of which reference generally parallel data since various AEC and ERDA publications were the source documentation for the other consultants as well, range from 15.3 to 15.6 mills/kWh. The 15.5 mills/kWh estimate shown, which is the WASH- 1535 final estimate (1993 IOC) is the one that has been used for one of
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