Evaluation of radiological and economic consequences associated with an accident in a fusion power plant

Abstract The evaluation of the external costs associated with an accident in a fusion power plant points out that the consequences of such an event, as far as health and environmental impacts are concerned, remain rather limited. This paper presents the main components of the evaluation on accident, performed in the framework of the Studies on Socio-Economic Research on Fusion SERF under the EURATOM agreement. This evaluation, limited to the health and environmental impacts, shows that the external costs of the fusion accident is in the range of 10 −5 –10 −4 mEURO/kW h while the total external costs for fusion are estimated in the range of a few mEURO per kilowatt hour. It should be noted that even with the integration of risk aversion, the external cost associated with the accident scenario for fusion power plant still remains quite limited due to the low radiological impacts that would have to support the populations surrounding the power plant if an accident occurred, especially the absence of evacuation and relocation of the population and the very limited constraints on food products.