Study of fast breeder reactor plant construction costs. Results in JFY1999

In the framework of feasibility studies on commercialized fast breeder reactor (FBR) system, advanced concepts of FBRs are being investigated aiming to achieve generation cost of 5 yen/kWh for the FBR system in the future. In order to achieve this economic target, it is expected to reduce the construction cost for 1,500 MWe FBR power plants to below 200 k yen/kWe. As a consideration of economics of FBR plants, the following studies were conducted in JFY 1999: study on cost reduction scenarios, estimation of the construction costs of large scale sodium cooled FBR plants by the cost evaluation code SCES-FBR, and arrangement of plant commodity data base. Principal results are as follows: 1. Cost reduction scenarios for FBRs with diverse coolants were studied and cost reduction technologies applicable to those plants were extracted. 2. Plant commodities were compared between the Demonstration FBR (Phase I Design) and a large scale sodium cooled FBR plant (Preliminary design), and cost of the large scale plant was estimated as based on the construction cost of the Demonstration FBR. Results of these studies showed that the total amount of 2,500 tons for structural materials of main components in NSSS will be a value to achieve the construction cost target in case of 1,500 MWe sodium cooled FBR power plant. 3. The several plant concepts which were studied in JFY1999 as a candidate for the 1,500 MWe sodium cooled FBR power plant were evaluated by SCES-FBR in respect to their construction cost. The results showed that they have a potential to achieve the construction cost target. Effects on the construction cost reduction by common use of facilities in a twin plant and by decrease of number of cooling loops were also estimated to be approximately 23 k yen/kWe and 6 k yen/loop, respectively. (author)