The „Economic and Social Considerations for the Future of Nuclear Energy in Society“ (ECOSENS) project aims to create a neutral space where specialists in nuclear energy research and policy and in social sciences (including economics, sociology, Science and Technology Studies) and humanistics will meet, exchange views and collaborate with civil society and other relevant stakeholders. Coordinated by RATEN ICN, the project has started in 2022 and the activities will be running for 3years.

The ECOSENS project provides a societal perspective on the development and use of existing and new nuclear technologies, in the context of major societal challenges: climate crisis, sustainable development and energy security, by opening up the techno-scientific issues to the social, political, cultural and ethical context, in order to guide policies in the nuclear field. 
This assessment is important as nuclear power remains a valuable component of the global energy mix, particularly in the context of achieving long-term energy sustainability and meeting climate goals. 

These technologies are integral to the energy policies at the European Union (EU) level, where each plays a distinct role in the collective effort to reduce carbon emissions, enhance energy security, and promote sustainability. However, the emphasis and adoption of these technologies vary across EU member states, influenced by regional resources, policy priorities, and socio-economic factors. 
The assessment, conducted using a novel methodology developed by the project partners, involved the collaboration of energy specialists and stakeholders. Its goal was to promote public participation in sustainability-related decision-making and offer recommendations to energy policymakers. A key feature of the assessment is its holistic approach, considering the entire lifecycle of the analyzed technologies, rather than focusing solely on operational impacts.

A full report on the assessment is available at: https://ecosens-project.eu/deliverable-2-4-investigation-on-the-sustainability-of-theentire-life-cycle-of-nuclear-power/
This assessment carefully balances economic, environmental, and social factors, evaluating 62 indicators and sub-indicators across these three pillars. These include considerations such as resource availability, economic viability, environmental impact, technological feasibility, and political and social dimensions. The responses from participants were aggregated using weighted metrics, generating a figure of merit for each technology, with specific details provided for each pillar (Environment, Economics, and Social).

Nuclear power emerged as the highest performer in sustainability among all evaluated energy technologies across various indicators. Specifically, it excelled in the following areas:

• Environment: 7 indicators/sub-indicators (out of a possible 29), including carbon emissions, land occupation, cumulative lifecycle emissions of NMVOC and PM2.5, biodiversity, impact of accidents, passive safety systems, and safety by design.
• Economics: 6 indicators/sub-indicators (out of a possible 17), including capacity factor, global efficiency, system integration costs, large-scale storage feasibility, LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy), and macro-economic impact.
• Social: 9 indicators/sub-indicators (out of a possible 16), including direct high-education jobs, employment in contributing industries, local/regional business impacts, additional goods and services created, knowledge generation, educational impact, reduction of inherited burdens (e.g., toxic waste), non-proliferation, and women's empowerment.

However, the assessment also identified significant challenges for nuclear energy in terms of its sustainability performance, particularly in areas such as load-following capabilities, material recyclability, high insurance costs, risks associated with catastrophic accidents, radioactive waste generation, potential impacts on marine ecosystems, the extensive resources required for technical expertise and infrastructure, as well as public perception and social acceptance. These findings underscore the need for continued technological innovation and policy development to address these critical issues.

Considering the development of new nuclear systems such as SMRs and Generation IV. Such innovative systems hold significant promise in addressing many of the key drawbacks that have historically been associated with conventional nuclear power.