Browse by: "2012"

Refurbishment and long-term operation (LTO) of existing nuclear power plants (NPPs) today are crucial to the competitiveness of the nuclear industry in OECD countries as existing nuclear power plants produce baseload power at a reliable cost. A number of nuclear power plants, most notably 73 units in the United States (up to 2012), have been granted lifetime extensions of up to 60 years, a development that is being keenly watched in other OECD countries. In many of these (e.g. France, Switzerland), there is no legal end to the operating licence, but continued operation is based on the outcomes of periodic safety reviews.

This study analyses technical and economic data on the upgrade and lifetime extension experience in OECD countries. A multi-criteria assessment methodology is used considering various factors and parameters reflecting current and future financial conditions of operation, political and regulatory risks, the state of the plants’ equipment and the general role of nuclear power in the country’s energy policy.

The report shows that long-term operation of nuclear power plants has significant economic advantages for most utilities envisaging LTO programmes. In most cases, the continued operation of NPPs for at least ten more years is profitable even taking into account the additional costs of post-Fukushima modifications, and remains cost-effective compared to alternative replacement sources.

Les impôts sur les salaires fournissent des données sans équivalent sur l’impôt sur le revenu dans les pays de l’OCDE. La publication traite de l’impôt sur le revenu et des cotisations de sécurité sociales versés par les salariés, des cotisations de sécurité sociale et des taxes sur les salaires versés par les employeurs et des prestations versées en espèce aux familles en emploi. Il s’agit d’illustrer comment ces taxes et prestations sont calculés dans chaque pays membre et d’examiner leurs impacts sur le revenu des ménages. Les résultats permettent aussi de faire des comparaisons internationales quantitatives des coûts de main-d’oeuvre et de la position globale vis-à-vis de l’impôt et des prestations des célibataires et des familles à différents niveaux de revenus.

La publication montre cette information pour huit types de ménages représentatifs dont la composition et le niveau du salaire diffèrent. Les résultats mettent aussi en évidence la pression fiscale moyenne et marginale qui s’exerce sur les ménages disposant d’un ou de deux salaires, ainsi que les coûts de main-d’oeuvre pour les employeurs. Les données sont largement utilisées pour la recherche universitaire, comme pour la préparation et l’évaluation des politiques économiques et sociales.

L'édition de cette année inclut une étude spéciale intitulée « Évolution des barèmes de l’impôt sur le revenu des personnes physiques et des cotisations salariales de sécurité sociale ».

Les "informations détaillés par pays" ainsi que les "Méthodes et limites de l'étude" sont disponibles en anglais seulement.

This publication contains statistics on fisheries and aquaculture in OECD countries from 2003 to 2010. Information is provided on government financial transfers, total allowable catches, landings, employment, fleet capacity and aquaculture production.

Analytical work by the OECD on fisheries is carried out by the Committee for Fisheries and covers a wide range of issues related to management, resource conservation, trade and sustainable development.

Following the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, extraordinary efforts were undertaken in Japan to implement a compensation scheme for the proper and efficient indemnification of the affected victims. This publication provides English translations of key Japanese legislative and administrative texts and other implementing guidance, as well as several commentaries by Japanese experts in the field of third party nuclear liability.

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has prepared this publication in co-operation with the government of Japan to share Japan’s recent experience in implementing its nuclear liability and compensation regime. The material presented in the publication should provide valuable insights for those wishing to better understand the regime applied to compensate the victims of the accident and for those working on potential improvements in national regimes and the international framework for third party nuclear liability.

Fuel transuranics (TRU) multi-recycling is a mandatory feature if both the resource sustainability and the waste minimisation objectives for future fuel cycles are to be pursued. The resulting TRU transmutation can be implemented in fast neutron spectrum reactors according to two main options commonly referred to as the homogeneous and heterogeneous modes. In this study, the two alternatives have been compared in terms of reactor core feasibility, fuel development and impact on the fuel cycle. The multi-criteria analysis indicates that there are major challenges in minor actinide-loaded fuel development, its experimental validation and possibly in its reprocessing. Both modes of recycling have an impact on the overall fuel cycle, even if at different stages, for example complex target fabrication and handling in the case of heterogeneous recycling and full core fuel fabrication in the case of homogeneous recycling. The study finds that an economic evaluation according to specific implementation scenarios should still be undertaken.