Foro Nuclear report shows socio-economic impact of nuclear industry in Spain

The nuclear industry is a strategic industry for Spain's economy because of its competitiveness and its impact on GDP, employment, investment in R&D, exports and contribution to taxes, a report commissioned by industry group Foro Nuclear says.

The report, prepared by PwC at Foro Nuclear's request, quantifies the socio-economic impact of the nuclear industry in Spain. It was compiled using data from companies and organisations, and from public information sources.

Foro Nuclear president Antonio Cornadó said: "It is important to put a value on the contribution made by the nuclear industry to Spain's economy and to wider society. Foro Nuclear wanted to have an accurate picture of the contribution the nuclear industry makes." And he added: "The report shows that productivity of the nuclear industry is 3.8 times the national average. In addition, the nuclear industry invests 1.98 percent of total revenues in R&D, which is 2.4 times higher than the total in Spain. This shows how important the industry is."

The report's main findings are:

Contribution to gross domestic product

• The nuclear industry contributed 2.781 million euros to Spain's GDP in 2013, representing 0.27% of GDP.
• The nuclear industry's direct contribution to GDP was 1,967 million euros (0.19% of total GDP) and represented approximately 75% of the contribution of the air transport industry (0.25% of GDP), 30% of the textile, leather and footwear industry (0.60% of GDP), or 15% of the chemical industry (1.13% of GDP).

Contribution to employment

• In 2013, the nuclear industry employed 27,466 people in Spain (0.16% of total employment), of which 8,472 jobs were generated directly by the nuclear industry. The impact of the nuclear industry on GDP per employee was 3.8 times higher than the Spanish average.
• Nuclear industry jobs are characterised by their quality and stability. In 2013, 81% of the industry's employees were on permanent contracts, while the average for Spain was 77%. On average, 49.5% of employees in the nuclear industry had a university degree, compared to 41.2% for the whole of Spain.

Investment in research and development

• In fiscal 2013, the nuclear industry invested over 71 million euros in R&D, representing 1.03% of total expenditure on R&D by companies in Spain. This was higher than in industries such as textiles (0.42%), shipbuilding (0.73%) and metallurgy (0.91%).
• Investment in R&D accounted for 1.98% of the nuclear industry's revenues, 2.4 times the figure for Spain, double that of the chemical industry and the textile sector, and four times that of the metallurgical sector.

Exports

• Exports are an important source of income for the nuclear industry. In 2013, exports amounted to 238 million euros, which represented 0.10% of total exports from Spain.

Tax contribution

• For every 100 euros of turnover by companies in the nuclear industry, 25 euros were spent on taxes.
• The total tax contribution of the nuclear industry in Spain in 2013 was 1,141 million euros, of which 781 million was taxes incurred, which represented a cost for companies, and 360 million in taxes collected as a result of their business.