Energy expenditure involved in building and operating nuclear power plants

In the public discussion about the economic benefits of nuclear power it was argued recently that more energy was required to build and operate nuclear power plants than would be generated by those plants. Three authors, one of them working at a nuclear research center (KFA Juelich), one with a utility (RWE), and one with a reactor manufacturer (KWU), have studied this question. It is seen that the energy expenditure is roughly the same for a coal fired power plant and a nuclear power plant and that all the energy needed to build a nuclear power plant can be 'recovered' in one month of full power operation. (orig.)