Book excerpt: This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Analyzes the factors that determine the cost of electricity from new power plants. These factors -- including construction costs, fuel expense, environ. regulations, and financing costs -- can all be affected by government, energy, environmental, and economic policies. Contents: (1) Intro. and Org.; (2) Types of Generating Technologies: Electricity Demand and Power Plant Choice and Operation; Utility Scale Generating Technologies; (3) Factors that Drive Power Plant Costs; (4) Fuel Costs. Appendixes: Power Generation Technology Process Diagrams and Images; Estimates of Power Plant Overnight Costs; Estimates of Technology Costs and Efficiency with Carbon Capture; Financial and Operating Assumptions. Charts and tables.