The Nuclear Energy Debate: On the Economic Pros and Cons

Nuclear power not only divides nuclear reactors, it also divides society. Although Germany decided to phase out nuclear power in 2000, it took almost a quarter of a century before it was ultimately finalised in 2023. When the EU re-categorised nuclear power as sustainable in the summer of 2022, the debate flared up once again, often appealing to ideological motives. In the new ZEW podcast episode, Joscha Krug, researcher in the ZEW’s “Environmental and Climate Economics” Research Unit, takes a sober economic view of the issue. He and podcast host Bastian Thüne also talk about the actual costs of the peaceful use of nuclear energy and why countries decide in for or against nuclear power.