Deregulation and Investment in Generation Capacity: Evidence from Nuclear Power Uprates in the United States
研究发现放松管制的核电站所有者更倾向于投资功率提升，且会根据反应堆技术类型选择不同的升级方案，表明放松管制激励了更符合技术特性的盈利性投资。
Nuclear power uprates are investments in generation capacity that enable reactors to operate beyond their original power limit. We find that owners of deregulated reactors are more likely to make investment in power uprates. Moreover, after deregulation owners of boiling water reactors are more likely to choose Extended Power Uprates (EPUs) that could add up to 20 percent of the original power, but owners of pressurized water reactors, another type of reactors for which EPUs are more technically challenging, tend to select other types of uprates that add -less of reactor power. Deregulation incentivizes reactor owners to pursue profitable investments and propels them to make careful investment decisions more consistent with the technological nature of their plants.