German nuclear phase-out enters the next stage: Electricity supply remains secure - Major challenges and high costs for dismantling and final waste disposal
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German nuclear phase-out enters the next stage: Electricity supply remains secure - Major challenges and high costs for dismantling and final waste disposal. / Hirschhausen, Christian von; Gerbaulet, Clemens; Kemfert, Claudia et al.
In: DIW Economic Bulletin, Vol. 5, No. 22/23, 2015, p. 293-301.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research
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T1 - German nuclear phase-out enters the next stage: Electricity supply remains secure - Major challenges and high costs for dismantling and final waste disposal
AU - Hirschhausen, Christian von
AU - Gerbaulet, Clemens
AU - Kemfert, Claudia
AU - Reitz, Felix
AU - Ziehm, Cornelia
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - The June 2015 shutdown of the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant marks the shift into a new phase of the energy transition, in which all nuclear power plants in Germany will gradually be shut down by 2022. But even with the end of the commercial use of nuclear power, the lights in this country will not go out: As DIW Berlin's calculations attest to, the electricity supply in Germany remains secure. It is even assumed that Germany will still export electricity in 2025. However, the real challenges - the dismantling of the nuclear power plants and the disposal of nuclear waste - have yet to come: The final disposal of the highly radioactive waste in a (yet-to-be-determined) repository will continue, in all likelihood, into the 22nd century. For the dismantling and final disposal, the estimated costs - which, so far, are not very reliable - are expected to be at least 50 to 70 billion EUR. As such, the 38 billion EUR of provisions set up by the nuclear power plant operators are unlikely to be sufficient to cover the expected costs. Given the major financial risks, DIW Berlin recommends that the provisions set up by the nuclear companies be promptly transferred into a public-law fund. For costs that go beyond the framework covered by the provisions, a reserve liability should be established.
AB - The June 2015 shutdown of the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant marks the shift into a new phase of the energy transition, in which all nuclear power plants in Germany will gradually be shut down by 2022. But even with the end of the commercial use of nuclear power, the lights in this country will not go out: As DIW Berlin's calculations attest to, the electricity supply in Germany remains secure. It is even assumed that Germany will still export electricity in 2025. However, the real challenges - the dismantling of the nuclear power plants and the disposal of nuclear waste - have yet to come: The final disposal of the highly radioactive waste in a (yet-to-be-determined) repository will continue, in all likelihood, into the 22nd century. For the dismantling and final disposal, the estimated costs - which, so far, are not very reliable - are expected to be at least 50 to 70 billion EUR. As such, the 38 billion EUR of provisions set up by the nuclear power plant operators are unlikely to be sufficient to cover the expected costs. Given the major financial risks, DIW Berlin recommends that the provisions set up by the nuclear companies be promptly transferred into a public-law fund. For costs that go beyond the framework covered by the provisions, a reserve liability should be established.
KW - Economics
KW - nuclear power
KW - Energiewende
KW - nuclear waste disposal
M3 - Journal articles
VL - 5
SP - 293
EP - 301
JO - DIW Economic Bulletin
JF - DIW Economic Bulletin
SN - 2192-7219
IS - 22/23
ER -