22 Sep (NucNet): The nuclear industry is vital 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 for Foro Nuclear by PwC, 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.
The report says the nuclear industry contributed €2.7bn ($3.1bn) to Spain’s GDP in 2013, representing 0.27 percent of GDP.
The Industry’s direct contribution to GDP was €1.9bn, or 0.19% of total GDP, and represented approximately 75 percent of the contribution of the air transport industry, 30 percent of the textile, leather and footwear industry, or 15 percent of the chemical industry.
In 2013 the industry employed 27,466 people in Spain. The impact of the nuclear industry on GDP per employee was 3.8 times higher than the Spanish average.
The report says nuclear industry jobs are characterised by their “quality and stability”. In 2013, 81 percent of the industry’s employees were on permanent contracts, while the average for Spain was 77 percent.
In fiscal 2013, the industry invested over €71m in R&D, representing 1.03 percent of total expenditure on R&D by companies in Spain. This was higher than in industries such as textiles and shipbuilding.
Investment in R&D accounted for 1.98 percent of the nuclear industry’s revenues, 2.4 times the national figure, double that of the chemical industry and the textile sector, and four times that of the metallurgical sector.
In 2013, nuclear industry exports amounted to €238m, which represented 0.10 percent of total exports from Spain.
For every €100 of turnover by companies in the nuclear industry, €25 was spent on taxes.
The total tax contribution of the nuclear industry in Spain in 2013 was €1.1bn, of which 781m was taxes incurred, which represented a cost for companies, and €360m was taxes collected as a result of their business.
