Cost-benefit considerations in regulatory analysis
Justification for safety enhancements at nuclear facilities, e.g., a compulsory backfit to nuclear power plants, requires a value-impact analysis of the increase in overall public protection versus the cost of implementation. It has been customary to assess the benefits in terms of radiation dose to the public averted by the introduction of the safety enhancement. Comparison of such benefits with the costs of the enhancement then requires an estimate of the monetary value of averted dose (dollars/person rem). This report reviews available information on a variety of factors that affect this valuation and assesses the continuing validity of the figure of $1000/person-rem averted, which has been widely used as a guideline in performing value-impact analyses. Factors that bear on this valuation include the health risks of radiation doses, especially the higher risk estimates of the BEIR V committee, recent calculations of doses and offsite costs by consequence codes for hypothesized severe accidents at U.S. nuclear power plants under the NUREG-1150 program, and recent information on the economic consequences of the Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union and estimates of risk avoidance based on the willingness-to-pay criterion. The report analyzes these factors and presents results on the dollars/person-rem ratio arising from different assumptions on the values of these factors.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States). Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 130636
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR--6349; ON: TI96002234
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
De minimis dose equivalents derived from cost-benefit analysis
Value/impact analysis for evaluating alternative mitigation systems
Multicriterion benefit evaluation methodology for safety enhancements in nuclear power plants and application for FLEX strategies
Journal Article
·
Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985
· Radiation Protection Management; (United States)
·
OSTI ID:5325314
Value/impact analysis for evaluating alternative mitigation systems
Technical Report
·
Thu Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1987
·
OSTI ID:5578904
Multicriterion benefit evaluation methodology for safety enhancements in nuclear power plants and application for FLEX strategies
Journal Article
·
Mon Mar 08 19:00:00 EST 2021
· Nuclear Engineering and Design
·
OSTI ID:1773060