Economics of nuclear energy in a sustainable development perspective

The paper is based on a recent OECD study on projected costs of generating electricity and other NEA studies on external costs including carbon emissions and global climate change risks. The overall objective of the analysis is to provide key elements for assessing nuclear energy in a sustainable development perspective, taking into account social and environmental aspects. Levelised lifetime costs of generating electricity are presented and compared for nuclear power plants and alternative generation technologies including gas-fired, coal-fired and wind power plants. The data presented refer to state-of-the-art power plants that could be commissioned by 2015 or earlier. Cost drivers and their variability from country to country and technology to technology are analysed. The paper also addresses external costs and benefits of nuclear energy as compared with those of alternative options. In particular, it provides insights regarding the impact of policy measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the relative competitiveness of fossil-fuelled power plants and nearly carbon-free technologies (e.g., nuclear or wind). Other external costs such as social concerns, environmental impacts of residual emissions and contribution to security of energy supply are discussed