The economics and financing of decommissioning

Economics and financing have the most immediate interest to the public. Largely this interest stems from the effect of decommissioning on current utility rates, but there are other related issues as well. These include the question of whether adequate funds will be available when needed, how they will be collected and invested, and what constitute reasonable contingency factors and discount rates. Preliminary examination of the economics of decommissioning raises more questions than it answers. Each country or area of a country (as in the USA) will be faced with establishing its own policies. Whichever methods and logic are finally applied to the economics of decommissioning in the United Kingdom, the public will eventually pay. For this reason, a clear working knowledge of the principal elements of this consideration is important. (author)