Social cost assessment for nuclear fuel cycle options in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

The national energy policy has been established through assessing the economy of energy sources. However, this energy policy has not been adjusted for public opinion. Therefore, public opinion should be considered in the economic analysis of the energy policy, particularly when it includes nuclear power. This is referred to as the social cost, and it includes direct and external costs in economic analysis. In this thesis, the various social properties of nuclear power are investigated, including the impact of society and the three Ss: safety, security, and safeguards. Furthermore, scenarios are developed for the nuclear fuel cycle based on the material flow and likelihood of the nuclear fuel cycle in the Republic of Korea. The nuclear fuel cycle options can be selected from the decision-making process based on this research, in order to propose a trans-scientific cost assessment of nuclear fuel cycles in Korea for political decision-making processes determined by external influences, conditions, and specific social environments