The politics and economics of civil nuclear power

In the United Kingdom public support for the nuclear power programme is faltering and there is considerable public concern over the management of radioactive waste disposal. At the Sizewell-B enquiry, which became a wider debate on all present and future aspects of nuclear power in Britain, the economic aspects were of major importance. The economic justification for Sizewell-B is not clearcut, nor can safety and environmental considerations be separated from the economic ones. It is suggested that more sophisticated techniques for economic appraisal of new nuclear reactors will have to be developed and assessed independently. A permanent energy investment audit commission, which could report to the Energy Select Committee and through that to Parliament, is proposed. (U.K.)