7-14. As an alternative to the coal-fired plant, PennCo could construct an 800 MW natural gas–fired plant. This plant would require the same initial investment of $1.12 billion dollars to be depreciated over its 30-year life using the SL method with SV30 = 0. The capacity factor estimate of the plant would still be 80%, but the efficiency of the natural gas–fired plant would be 40%. The annual operating and maintenance expense is expected to be $0.01 per kWh. The cost of natural gas is $8.00 per million Btu and the carbon dioxide tax is

$15 per metric ton. Natural gas emits 55 metric tons of carbon dioxide per billion Btu produced. The effective income tax rate is 40%, and the after-tax MARR is 10% per year. Based on the after-tax cost of electricity, create a spreadsheet to determine whether PennCo should construct a natural gas–fired or coal-fired plant. Note:

1 kWh = 3,413 Btu. (7.9)