Some Simplifications for Decision-Making

Abstract

Transporting nuclear fuel, spent fuel rods and nuclear waste is an integral part of the nuclear fuel cycle. To object outright to this aspect of the fuel cycle is to reject nuclear power as an energy source in the UK’s energy future. That is a position some will find wholly consistent and for them the transportation issue is simply one more aspect of the risks of nuclear power. To others, nuclear power is an essential feature of energy policy, so that the degrees of freedom in debating the transportation issue really relates to: (1) the extent to which its associated risks should dictate the choice of a particular type of fuel cycle, and (2) the mechanisms for minimising that risk. We can then look at both standpoints and ask what they imply, if anything, for the structure of decision-making in the UK.