Global economies
Each year, the average 1,000 megawatt nuclear plant generates approximately $470 million in economic output or value. This includes over $35 million in total labor income. These figures include both direct output and secondary effects. The direct output reflects the plant’s annual electricity sales — approximately $453 million. The secondary effects at the local level — approximately $17 million — include spending due to the presence of the plant and its employees as money filters through the local economy. There are also secondary effects outside the local area, at the state and national level. For a nominal 1,000-megawatt nuclear plant, these secondary effects are $80 million (state level) and $393 million (national level). Analyses of 23 U.S. nuclear power stations representing 41 reactors show that every dollar spent by the average reactor results in the creation of $1.04 in the local community, $1.18 in the state economy and $1.87 in the U.S. economy.
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Economic benefits to Australia's uranium supplies
The strategic importance of Australia’s uranium resources lies partly in the extent to which they can generate economic benefits. Uranium exploration and mining in Australia has produced the following economic benefits:
- employment;
- regional development and infrastructure;
- export earnings;
- benefits for Aboriginal communities;
- royalties, taxes and fees paid to governments;
Economic costs of nuclear war
Many national economies and the world economy as a whole are arguably more vulnerable to the negative economic impact of a nuclear weapon detonation than they were in 1945. A nuclear weapon explosion in an open economy also risks having regional and global consequences that could set back hard-won development gains and worsen poverty.
The effects of a nuclear weapon explosion are likely to be felt over an extended period of time and to generate immense socio-economic costs. With potentially large numbers of people suffering disability or permanent health effects, such as increased disease occurrence and emotional trauma, degraded living circumstances, homelessness, displacement, interrupted education, and loss of employment, the productivity of affected populations should be expected to be negatively affected over an extended period of time.
Due to radioactive fall-out, cities, towns, industrial areas and agricultural land over a potentially vast area may have to be abandoned. One study puts the economic cost of a 100 kT nuclear weapon exploding in New York City at $10 trillion or above, which is roughly equivalent to the annual GDP of the U.S. economy.