An Analysis of the National Nuclear Power Programme
The implementation of the National Nuclear Power Programme should be analysed on several levels:
1. Economic aspects
1.1 Investment costs,
1.2 Market offer,
1.3 Operating costs,
1.4 Decommissioning costs,
1.5 Total cost level;
2. Social aspects
2.1 Effect on employment:
- During construction,
- During operation;
2.2 Effect on the economic development of the country:
- Directly,
- Indirectly (possible multiplier effects);
3. Logistics
3.1 Obtaining a site,
3.2 Development of grid connections,
3.3 Construction timetable (deadlines),
3.4 Internal programme organisation;
4. Political aspect
4.1 Level of public acceptance,
4.2 Level of voters’ acceptance,
4.3 Feasibility of the programme and associated timetable,
4.4 Impact on energy security of the country;
5. Environmental aspect
5.1 Reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
5.2 Security,
5.3 Management of:
- Nuclear fuel,
- Spent nuclear fuel;
6. Conclusion
Confining such a multi-dimensional, complicated analysis to a short publication using layman's rather than technical and economic terms does not seem possible. It is worthwhile, however, to try and provide a discussion of the above-mentioned issues in a manner that makes them accessible to the general public, so that it can be used as a sort of “terms of reference” for the project currently being developed by the government, or rather by the Government Commissioner for Nuclear Power. In particular, this analysis concerns the economic aspects of introducing nuclear power to Poland.
The issue of the environmental security of nuclear power raises the most controversy. Past experiences of nuclear power stations malfunctioning are not very positive, but it must be admitted that the power station being built in Poland is to use a completely different technology (EPR – a pressurised reactor of the III+ generation) to that employed at the Chernobyl power station (a second generation graphite reactor). The only problem is the fact that no such reactor is as yet operational (a few installations of this type are under construction, including the famous Olkiluoto 3 reactor).
Full text in English.