Costs and Benefits of Relaunching Nuclear Energy in Italy

72 Pages Posted: 18 Mar 2012

Date Written: February 16, 2012

Abstract

This paper supplies elements for assessing the costs and benefits of electronuclear energy in order to pursue three objectives: security of supply, cost reduction, and environmental sustainability. The study reached the following conclusions: 1) the use of nuclear energy increases the diversification of the energy mix and of energy suppliers, raising energy security levels, but it does not reduce Italy’s dependence on foreign energy; 2) the use of nuclear energy would not imply a reduction in power generation costs, but it would contain their volatility, with benefits in terms of decreasing uncertainty; 3) environmental impacts would differ depending on the time horizon considered: in the medium term, this technology would provide an important contribution to curbing greenhouse gas emissions; the long-term effects are more ambiguous and raise important intergenerational issues.

Note: Downloadable document is in Italian.

Keywords: nuclear energy, energy security, environmental impact of energy use

JEL Classification: Q42, Q53, Q54

Suggested Citation

Faiella, Ivan and Lavecchia, Luciano, Costs and Benefits of Relaunching Nuclear Energy in Italy (February 16, 2012). Bank of Italy Occasional Paper No. 114, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2023194 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2023194

Ivan Faiella (Contact Author)

Bank of Italy ( email )

Via Nazionale 91
00184 Roma
Italy

Luciano Lavecchia

Bank of Italy ( email )

Via Nazionale 91
Rome, 00184
Italy

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