Politecnico di Milano is a partner in the ECOSENS (Economic and Social Considerations for the Future of Nuclear Energy in Society) project, funded by the European Community under the HORIZON-EURATOM research and training programme.

The project aims to analyse citizens’ opinions and perceptions of the risks, benefits and potential of the use of (current and future) nuclear technologies in relation to the main societal challenges: climate crisis, sustainable energy policy, energy security.

In order to identify the possible role of nuclear energy within the decarbonisation targets envisaged for 2050, the sustainability of current technologies and the integration of new generation reactors (III+ and IV) will be assessed in relation to the future energy market and current societal developments.

The Department of Management Engineering of Politecnico di Milano will be supported by the Department of Energy in the development of an economic model based on the “system of provision approach” to generate and calculate indicators relevant for the evaluation of nuclear systems, including the “social discount rate” (reflecting uncertainties about the socio-environmental costs and benefits of the project) and the impact on sustainability.

The research will lead to the drafting of guidelines for the evaluation of new nuclear infrastructures with a view to improving their sustainability.

Politecnico research group is coordinated by Prof. Giorgio Locatelli of the Department of Management Engineering and includes Prof. Paolo Trucco (Department of Management Engineering) and Prof. Marco Ricotti (Department of Energy).