Eignung der Produktlebenszyklusrechnung für Großprojekte am Beispiel eines Atomkraftwerkes

Abstract

Large-scale projects such as nuclear power plants are associated with enormous investment costs, long project durations and complex regulatory requirements. Their economic evaluation poses a particular challenge, as classic static methods are often not sufficient to reflect the economic realities over the entire life cycle. Product life cycle assessment (PLCA) offers an alternative approach that records all project-related income and expenditure across all phases and evaluates them in a time-differentiated manner. The aim of this thesis is to systematically analyse the suitability of PLCA as an economic evaluation tool for large-scale technical projects. In particular, the methodological requirements, strengths and limitations of the PLCA take centre stage. The European nuclear power plant project OL 3 in Finland was used for illustration and application. Due to its long construction period, the significant cost overruns and the complex political and legal framework conditions, OL3 is particularly suitable as a practical case study for a life cycle assessment. As part of the analysis, all project phases - from construction and commissioning to longterm operation and the dismantling phase - were transferred to a separate PLCA. In addition to traditional items such as investment costs and operating expenses, external factors such as CO₂ pricing, insurance expenses and provisioning obligations were also included. The economic valuation was carried out using the net present value method and internal rate of return, applying a project-specific discount rate. The results show that the PLCA is generally well suited to the valuation of complex largescale projects - but only with a careful data basis and taking external influencing factors into account. The case study illustrates how strongly construction delays, cost increases and regulatory requirements can influence the long-term profitability of a project. In particular, the late realisation of revenues as a result of the extended construction period significantly reduces the present value of future revenues. Finally, recommendations for the further development and application of the PLCA are derived. These include early integration into the planning process, the flexible integration of external variables and the use of sensitivity and scenario analyses. The study concludes that, if applied consistently, the PLCA can make a significant contribution to economically sound decision-making for large-scale, long-term projects.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Christine Mitter (Supervisor)