Abstract
The devastating nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, which was triggered by a tsunami in the wake of an earthquake, resulted in the decision to quickly phase out nuclear power and with it implicitly accelerated the German Energiewende (energy transition). To the outside observer, the decision appeared to be spontaneous and possibly due to a distorted perception of the associated risks of nuclear power. From the decision results not only the limiting uses of private property by conventional energy providers, but the exit from nuclear energy has also implications for the energy market. As with every human, political actors decide under uncertainty and incomplete information. Based on these parameters, we emphasize that the decision of a political actor is comparable to management decision-making. The paper takes this as an opportunity to examine the political decision to phase-out nuclear energy by discussing relevant parameters from the perspective of decision theory. We plead for a mandatory consideration of economic findings, especially from decision theory and risk management in political decision-making processes, especially in matters that affect future generations.
Highlights
Faculty of Business and Economics, Technical University Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany; Abstract: The devastating nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, which was triggered by a tsunami in the wake of an earthquake, resulted in the decision to quickly phase out nuclear power and with it implicitly accelerated the German Energiewende
(phase-out from the phase-out) (e.g., [3,4]). This decision allowed to stick to nuclear energy at least until alternative forms of energy were capable of independently supplying an industrialized country such as Germany, approximately one and a half year after this decision to stick to nuclear energy, the accident in Fukushima led to a radical change in the energy policy of Germany (e.g., [3]), what can be described as “Fukushima Effect” [5]
We want to discuss whether the nuclear accident in Fukushima significantly increased the risk of using nuclear energy in Germany
Summary
Faculty of Business and Economics, Technical University Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany; Abstract: The devastating nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, which was triggered by a tsunami in the wake of an earthquake, resulted in the decision to quickly phase out nuclear power and with it implicitly accelerated the German Energiewende (energy transition). Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Two of these events are worth mentioning in the context of nuclear energy: The nuclear accident in Chernobyl, Soviet Union, in 1986, and the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011. In the year 2000, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (7th chancellor of Germany from 1998 until November 2005, Social Democratic Party) has commonly agreed with the operators of nuclear power plants to limit the electricity production from nuclear energy and to phase-out nuclear power (e.g., [2]) This nuclear consensus allowed some flexibility to the nuclear operators as residual electricity production could be transformed from one unit to another to optimize the use of installed fuel assemblies. This decision allowed to stick to nuclear energy at least until alternative forms of energy were capable of independently supplying an industrialized country such as Germany, approximately one and a half year after this decision to stick to nuclear energy, the accident in Fukushima led to a radical change in the energy policy of Germany (e.g., [3]), what can be described as “Fukushima Effect” [5]
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