Understanding the Actual Economics of Nuclear Power: Benefits - including those often uncounted - exceed costs

Nuclear energy is often labeled “too expensive.” This conclusion too often relies on incomplete and shallow analyses that rely on small samples and focus on a narrow set of benefits. This session examines the full economic picture of nuclear power: 1. Characterize overnight construction, financing, and operating costs for nuclear reactors in a larger sample of countries. This research shows the US is often an outlier in terms of exceptionally costly nuclear reactor builds. That is, many other countries can build nuclear power plants substantially faster and cheaper. 2. Discuss a wider set of benefits that are frequently excluded from standard economic analyses of different energy sources. Nuclear power plants, once built (including in the US) dramatically reduce operating costs of energy production. This direct benefit is typically the focus of comparative energy analyses. The wider set of benefits include zero carbon emissions, reduced pollution, and a range of indirect economic benefits. We will explore how these factors reshape the economics of nuclear energy in real-world systems - and why overlooking them can lead to distorted policy and investment decisions.

Takeaway: When a more comprehensive characterization of all costs and benefits are considered, nuclear power may look very different than its reputation suggests.

Speakers: Jeffrey Bohn & Guido Núñez-Mujica, Anthropocene Institute

Previously scheduled speaker Varun Sivaram, Emerald AI, is not available.

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