The lifetime pollution implications of various types of electricity generation - An input-output analysis

This paper examines the UK economy wide, lifecycle implications of eight forms of electricity generations for the emission of three air pollutants, CO2, SO2 and NOx. The lifecycle of the generating stations is considered in three phases: construction, operation and decommissioning. The methodology used is input-output analysis, which allows the calculation of the total pollution effects, throughout the economy, of any economic activity, The comparison for each case is with 'old coal' technology, and the considered forms of electricity generation give substantial lifecycle emission reductions for all three types of pollutants. In each case, much the largest reduction is attributable to the operating phase