Bushehr Nuclear Power Plants (BNPPs) and the perspective of sustainable energy development in Iran

Sustainable energy development (SED) relies on the comparative assessment of various electricity-generating facilities (EGFs) taking into account their activities' impacts on society, economy, and environment at local, regional, and global levels. As there is not any electricity-generating facility to move towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs) without interplay with the social, economic, and environmental aspects, thus the selection of the most efficient electricity-generating facility within the frameworks of SDGs cannot be judged alone unless compared to other alternatives such as nuclear, fossil fuels, and renewables. This research intends to study the roles of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plants (BNPPs) in achieving the SED perspective of Iran. In this connection, a comprehensive comparative assessment of various EGFs of Iran including nuclear, fossil fuels, biomass, wind, solar thermal, photovoltaic, geothermal, and hydropower are carried out and discussed. The main indicators of SED such as Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) metric, grid-level system cost, investment cost, external cost, average CO2 equivalent emission, ecosystem impact, required land area, required water, preservation of natural resources, human health, created jobs, international cooperation, social acceptance and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), lack of dangers in BNPPs, and energy-water hub are thoroughly investigated. The evaluation of BNPPs within the SED frameworks indicates BNPPs play a vital and critical role to achieve Iran's SED and minimize the socio-economic costs and environmental problems compared to the other EGFs. Moreover, Iran needs at least 160 Gigawatts Electric (GWe) until 2050, and therefore Iran is to move towards a cleaner energy mix and substitute nuclear power with more portions of the fossil fuel power to achieve the SDGs and also to be an energy hub in the Middle East. This research could help the energy policy-makers take the appropriate decisions and strategies regarding the selection of the best EGFs to attain the SDGs.