Nuclear energy is an important alternative energy source. However, construction of nuclear power plants (NPPs) requires the consideration of environmental, economic, socioeconomic, health, and safety factors since using such an energy source involves some risks during the operation lifetime of a NPP. Accordingly, the selection of the most suitable site for a NPP yields a multicriteria decision making (MCDM) problem. Natural hazards, health hazards, environmental conditions, population density, and the availability of water resources are among the main factors that should be considered. To demonstrate the application of the proposed methodology, two previously identified NPP sites in Turkey, specifically, Mersin-Akkuyu and Sinop-Abalı, are compared utilizing the multicriteria utility functions.

In the comparison of these two sites, seismic hazard, tsunami hazard; extreme wind hazard; distance to facilities; population density; proximity to the city center; existence of forests, natural parks, nature conservation areas, and natural monuments; biodiversity; and immovable cultural heritage have been identified as the most important critical criteria and are evaluated concerning the utility functions developed for each criterion. The optimal site is selected within the framework of the MCDM rules, and is recommended as the output of the study.