Broad Economic Impact Of Nuclear Power

When we first contemplated a book on this subject we were faced with a number of options: (a) to write it all ourselves, which would have had the merit of internal consistency and continuity of style; (b) to produce a collection of existing papers. which would have given us expert views in the various sub-fields of the economics of nuclear energy and would have put us in the position of knowing from the start exactly what the authors' contribu tions would be: (c) to commission contributions from individual specialists, chapter by chapter; or (d) some combination of these options. We settled for the last - we have written some of the material ourselves, have obtained permission to use some existing papers that seem to us to be valuable contributions to the subject, and have been fortunate in persuading a number of eminent people in their fields to produce papers especially for the book. This has given us a great deal of work and taken up more time than we planned for but we believe the result justifies this time and effort. It enabled us to design a structure for the book from the outset, recognizing that there are several aspects to the economics of nuclear energy - especially if we take a broad view of what is embraced by the word 'economics'.

This open access book discusses the eroding economics of nuclear power for electricity generation as well as technical, legal, and political acceptance issues. The use of nuclear power for electricity generation is still a heavily disputed issue. Aside from technical risks, safety issues, and the unsolved problem of nuclear waste disposal, the economic performance is currently a major barrier. In recent years, the costs have skyrocketed especially in the European countries and North America. At the same time, the costs of alternatives such as photovoltaics and wind power have significantly decreased. Contents History and Current Status of the World Nuclear Industry The Dramatic Decrease of the Economics of Nuclear Power Nuclear Policy in the EU The Legacy of Csernobyl and Fukushima Nuclear Waste and Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants Alternatives: Heading Towards Sustainable Electricity Systems Target Groups Researchers and students in the fields of political, economic and technical sciences Energy (policy) experts, nuclear energy experts and practitioners, economists, engineers, consultants, civil society organizations The Editors Prof. Dr. Reinhard Haas is University Professor of energy economics at the Institute of Energy Systems and Electric Drives at Technische Universität Wien, Austria. PD Dr. Lutz Mez is Associate Professor at the Department for Political and Social Sciences of Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. PD Dr. Amela Ajanovic is a senior researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Energy Systems and Electrical Drives at Technische Universität Wien, Austria.--

This book is a unique introduction to the economic costs of nuclear power. It examines the future of the nuclear power industry and unpacks the complicated relationships between its technical, economic and political variables. It does so by modelling the costs, risks and uncertainties of one of the world’s most opaque industries using micro-econometrics, econometrics, and cost engineering. Economics of Nuclear Power examines the very important costs of externalities (storing of nuclear waste and the impact of a Chernobyl or Fukushima event) and compares those to the externalities of alternative carbon based energies (oil, coal, natural gas). With over 100 tables and figures this book details nuclear power production around the world - present and planned, providing a completely global focus. It also includes an overview of the past 70 years of international nuclear power developments. This book is essential reading for students, scholars and professionals interested in energy economics, nuclear engineering and energy policy.

Using primarily Russian sources, this book explains the political and economic aspects of nuclear power. The nuclear fuel cycle is described, from the mining of natural uranium to the ultimate power generation, and to reprocessing to produce plutonium which is essential for both electricity generation and for weapons production. Historical aspects of nuclear developments in Germany, the USA, India, China and the Soviet Union are also considered and explained. The book then proceeds to argue that Russia is more powerful today in its nuclear weapons system and delivery than ever before, and that it is precisely this which has provoked President Trump to cancel the strategic nuclear weapons reduction treaty.