Risk Assessment for Nuclear Power Plant Projects

This paper examines the risks that must be considered in any nuclear power project. Topics discussed are: • Regional political instability/Changes in government policy with respect to nuclear power; • The effect of a nuclear incident anywhere in the world; • Terrorist threats; • Changes in the relative cost of competing fuels; • Shortages of skilled labor and/or manufacturing capability for nuclear components; • Spent fuel storage issues; • Unique risks inherent in a country’s building its first nuclear power plant. The paper goes into the challenges that all of these topics present to the development and building of a nuclear power plant anywhere in the world, with specific emphasis on challenges in the Middle East. In summary, there are a number of significant issues that must be addressed in any new nuclear power plant project. Early planning and continuous evaluation of these issues throughout the life of the project is essential to success.