Sustainability Indicators for Open-Cycle Thorium-Fuelled Nuclear Energy

S.F. Ashley, R.A. Fenner, William Nuttall and G.T. Parks

Cambridge Working Papers in Economics from Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge

Abstract: The potential for countries which currently have a nominal nuclear energy infrastructure to adopt thorium-uranium-fuelled nuclear energy systems, using a once-through “open” nuclear fuel cycle, has been presented by the International Atomic Energy Agency. This paper highlights Generation III and III+ nuclear energy technologies that could potentially adopt an open thorium-uranium fuel cycle and qualitatively highlights the main differences between the open thorium-uranium and open uranium fuel cycles. Furthermore, 28 indicators (and corresponding metrics) have been identified that could elucidate the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy systems which utilise thorium-uranium fuels in an open cycle. Such systems will be compared to an AREVA EPR operating with a once-through uranium fuel cycle. The indicators determined in this work have been drawn by grouping 270 indicators from eight previous studies of indicators associated with holistic and specific appraisals of the various life-cycle stages associated with the nuclear fuel cycle. The 28 indicators cover technoeconomic, environmental, waste, social, and proliferation-resistance themes and can be determined quantitatively, either by explicit determination or from an appropriate sensitivity analysis.

Keywords: Nuclear; Thorium; Sustainable Development; Indicators (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q01 Q42 Q55 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-06-28
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-env
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Related works:
Working Paper: Sustainability indicators for open-cycle Thorium-fuelled nuclear energy (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cam:camdae:1233

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