Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy in Less Industrialized Countries: Challenges, Opportunities, and Acceptance

Ricardo Raineri (), Jeffrey Binder, Adam Cohen and Antonio Muller
Additional contact information
Ricardo Raineri: Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial y de Sistemas, Escuela de Ingeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8320165, Chile
Jeffrey Binder: Boston Government Services, LLC, Washington, DC 20024, USA
Adam Cohen: Associated Universities, Inc., Vienna, VA 22180, USA
Antonio Muller: Associação Brasileira de Energia Nuclear (ABEN), Rio de Janeiro 20091-906, Brazil

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-32

Abstract: This paper introduces a holistic framework to assist less industrialized countries in adopting nuclear energy (NE) for peaceful purposes considering the challenges and opportunities this entails. It underscores the pressing need for sustainable and secure energy solutions, proposing NE as a viable option. The study aims to delve into the technical, social, economic, regulatory, and policy aspects of NE’s development and its broader applications beyond conventional power generation, such as industrial processes, medical applications, agricultural advancements, and mining activities, explicitly targeting less industrialized regions. Employing a systematic review of existing practices, the paper identifies and examines barriers to NE adoption alongside strategies to mitigate these issues. Findings suggest that NE can play a pivotal role in fostering economic growth and scientific progress, potentially sparking the emergence of new industries within these countries. However, significant obstacles—namely governance, public acceptance, safety, security, development of expertise, and securing financing—pose considerable challenges. The paper concludes that a strategic and well-coordinated deployment of NE is essential for driving socio-economic growth and environmental sustainability in less industrialized countries. It emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive planning and international collaboration to fully unlock NE’s potential, advocating for a multifaceted approach to overcome the identified hurdles.

Keywords: energy transition; nuclear energy; energy policy; energy and industrialization; energy security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/4/858/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/4/858/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:4:p:858-:d:1589398

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().