Problems regarding the competitiveness of nuclear power reactors

Recommendation 399 (1964)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 3rd and 4th November 1964 (9th, 10th and 11th Sittings) (see Doc. 1815, report of the Economic Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 4th November 1964 (11 th Sitting), as amended.

The Assembly,

1. Considering that nuclear energy will play in the future an ever greater part in meeting Western Europe's rapidly growing energy needs ;

2. Recognising that the most modern nuclear power stations are already very close to being competitive with conventional electric power stations under certain circumstances ;

3. Conscious of the need to pool Western European experience with a view to determining the most economic types of reactor for European conditions;

4. Aware of the very high cost of research and development of nuclear reactors, and of the desirability of achieving the greatest possible amount of co-operation between member States of the Council of Europe in this field ;

5. Aware of the need to overcome the present difficulties in making valid cost comparisons either between different nuclear reactors themselves, or between such nuclear reactors and conventional power stations, on other than a national basis, because of a lack of commonly accepted European criteria on which such cost estimates can be based,

Recommends to the Committee of Ministers that it urge member Governments to take as a matter of urgency an initiative within the framework of the European Nuclear Energy Agency of OECD with a view to the latter's drawing up common criteria, in any event with regard to the rate of interest, the period of amortisation and the load factor, on which cost estimates for nuclear power in Western Europe can be assumed to be based unless there is specific indication to the contrary, in which latter case the cost estimates should specify precisely what departures have been made from the ENEA criteria, and indicate the financial effect of each such departure.

The Assembly requests the Committee of Ministers to forward the above Recommendation and the accompanying report to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for consideration and appropriate action.