(1) Steam turbine proportion (incl. auxiliaries and condenser) for power plant capital cost is between 8 and 12%. - -   Siemens Fossil Power Generation.

(2) "The scientific method requires that we keep an open mind and change our conclusions when new evidence indicates that we should.  The new evidence affecting the nuclear debate is climate change, specifically the urgency of moving beyond fossil fuels to carbon-free energy sources.  We need an urgent, substantial research and development program on fourth-generation nuclear power, so that we have at least one viable option in the likely event that efficiency and renewables cannot provide all needed energy. 

A phase-out of coal emissions in the West can proceed promptly on the basis of efficiency, renewables, third-generation nuclear power, and possibly a contribution from carbon capture and storage - although it also requires a price on carbon emissions.  A phase-out of coal emissions in China and India almost certainly requires a cost-competitive alternative to coal. 

One reason for urgent development of fourth-generation nuclear power is the possibility of producing a design for a modular reactor, which would reduce costs if built in large number.  It is conceivable that next-generation nuclear power  might begin to be broadly deployed in China or India as early as the 2020s.  Deployment would be soonest if the United States would cooperate with these nations and treat this as a mater of urgency.  If you do not believe that such rapid development is feasible, you should read some of the stories about the Manhattan Project."
 -- Dr. James Hansen, "Storms of my Grandchildren," 2009, page 204.

 Dr. Hansen may be unaware the Russians (Oops, another Sputnik déjà vu moment.) have been running - since 1973 - the "fourth-generation" reactors Dr. Hansen is proposing we set up a "Manhattan Project" to develop.  We also had one, the Integral Fast Reactor, but Clinton killed it in 1994.  The newest, largest, and most advanced of this family of nuclear boilers, the BN-800, is currently under construction, and scheduled to go on line in 2012.  The BN-800 has the potential to run "Closed Cycle," consuming its own nuclear waste, thereby providing an over-20 year power run on a single load of fuel.

(3)