Chair(s): |
Neil HIGGINS, United Kingdom |
Secretary: |
Aditi VERMA (aditi.verma@oecd-nea.org) |
---|---|---|---|
Vice-Chair(s): |
Stefan HIRSCHBERG, Switzerland | ||
Member(s): | All NEA member countries* | ||
Russia (Suspended*) | |||
*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. | |||
Full participant(s): |
European Commission Under the NEA Statute | ||
Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement | ||
Date of creation: | 01 January 2013 | ||
End of mandate: | 31 December 2019 |
Mandate (Document reference):
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract of document [NEA/NDC(2018)18]
BACKGROUND
Albeit remote, the risk of a severe nuclear accident cannot be reduced to zero, carrying the potential to cause grave consequences to the concerned nuclear site and, if offsite radiological releases are involved, the surrounding territory, with effects on the surrounding population and potential contamination of associated land. As experienced in the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi accidents, direct and indirect costs can reach several per cents of the GDP and seriously affect the equilibrium of a country for some years. Direct and indirect consequences of the accident can also extend to other countries. That was the case during the Chernobyl accident, when many European countries experienced land contamination, with consequent restrictions on food consumption implemented across Europe. Another far-reaching effect caused to various degrees by the three severe accidents (Three Miles Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi) has been the impact on energy choices of several countries and on the whole nuclear industry. ‘What are the “true” costs of a nuclear accident’ is therefore a complex and highly debated question.
OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE
As underlined in the previous NEA study, “Methodologies for Assessing the Economic Consequences of Nuclear Reactor Accidents”, the methodologies adopted, along with the cost elements these can consider and combine, greatly depend upon the objective of the cost study and the intended use of the resulting “accident cost” figures. For instance, only some cost elements will be considered from the perspective of accident management, while a proper assessment of external costs of nuclear accident would require a broader perspective, thus including a larger range of cost elements.
The main objectives of the study are as follows:
PUBLICATION
The final report is expected to be published by end of 2019.