Bulgarian Council for Economic Analyses

The Council for Economic Analyses publishes its fourth analysis. It focuses on radioactive waste and public acceptance. The authors of the study are Petyo Bonev, Kaloyan Ganev and Ralitsa Simeonova-Ganeva.

The use of nuclear energy for civil purposes is considered by many experts to be a major substitute for fossil energy sources such as gas and coal. Bulgaria is one of the 12 Member States of the European Union that have nuclear power plants. Traditionally, most of the Bulgarian population has been positive towards nuclear power for civil purposes. With such a high public and political importance of nuclear energy, it is somewhat surprising that radioactive waste issues are hardly reflected in the media and political debates in this country.

Virtually all the solutions for storing this waste that have been applied so far, both in the world and in Bulgaria, are of a temporary nature. There is a scientific consensus that from an economic point of view, as well as from a security point of view, these temporary solutions are not optimal. Optimal security and economy would be achieved by a long-term solution, namely so-called deep geological disposal. Globally, the political postponement of solving this problem is mainly due to several factors, including the degree of public acceptance and the existence of local resistance of the "Not in my backyard" type.

The purpose of this analysis is to briefly present the situation in Bulgaria. The focus is on public acceptance of radioactive waste and the democratic processes that would lead to the formulation and implementation of a successful strategy.
The development of nuclear energy is inevitably linked to the long-term solution of the problem of storage of this waste. The identification of a location for a geological disposal repository will raise the issue of local community acceptance. The analysis discusses the results of a model based on public choice principles that provides a basis for a democratic solution to the problem. The approach used combines a referendum at the local level and different options of economic incentives: monetary compensation, infrastructure improvements, stimulating the local economy, etc. The results are validated through a carefully constructed scientific experiment.

 
The full analysis can be found on the Council for Economic Analyses website - here.