Climate and environmental impact of nuclear power

The report assesses nuclear energy’s role in the transformation to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The study examines the role of nuclear energy for achieving climate targets in five different integrated assessment models and compares them with a comprehensive bottom-up analysis of countries’ plans and programs for nuclear power until 2050. Next is a comprehensive life cycle assessment of nuclear power with a focus on the greenhouse gas emmissions. Different life-cycle chains are covering different countries and regions for the baseline year 2020 and a projection year 2030. The study adds a brief discussion of environmental impacts due to severe accidents in nuclear power plants and the proliferation risks inherent in the nuclear fuel cycle. Finally, the report provides an assessment of the life cycle costs of electricity from new nuclear power plants and resulting greenhouse gas abatement costs with respect to hard coal, comparing them with those of renewable energies. 

The results show that the development of renewable energies is the key to achieving the net-zero targets. Nuclear energy, on the other hand, is not necessary for achieving the climate targets and its significance for electricity generation in 2050 is very limited in any case. Despite the greenhouse gas emissions of nuclear energy, which are at a comparably low level to those of renewable energies, it is not a quick or cost-effective option for significantly reducing the energy system's greenhouse gas emissions due to long construction times and high costs.