Criteria and methods in nuclear power plants siting: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Site selection for nuclear power plants (NPPs) is an important government policy that has received widespread public attention. This situation led researchers to develop several criteria for determining NPP location. Therefore, our study aims to summarize several criteria and methods associated with NPP siting using systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). Previous studies published between 2014 and 2021 across three scientific databases (Scopus, EBSCO, and ProQuest) were used. There were 18 articles containing the criteria and methods for NPP siting from screening to inclusion. It was discovered that the siting process involves 7–25 criteria divided into (1) bio-geophysical (BGP), (2) social-economic and policy (SEP), and (3) disaster and extreme event (DEE) aspects. BGP was found to be the main criterion considered to be always present in NPP siting, in particular water coolers. Each SEP and DEE paid more attention to population and seismicity. Furthermore, WLC and AHP were the most widely used (18%), even though our analysis showed 18 other methods to weight each criterion. We found that China (17%, 26%), Turkey (22%, 12%), and Iran (11%, 11%) are very concerned about NPP due to the direct participation of national-affiliated researchers. NPP siting in the future requires a geospatial approach to provide a detailed description. In addition, sensitivity analysis should be used, especially if more than one decision-making method is used.