Public Opinion on Nuclear Energy in Slovenia

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Public Opinion on Nuclear Energy in Slovenia
IAEA Public Information Seminar Public Awareness
of Nuclear Energy Ljubljana, 27-29 March 2001
Andrej Stritar Joef Stefan Institute Nuclear
Training Centre Milan Copic Ljubljana, Slovenia
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• Average citizen of Slovenia is concerned about
  nuclear,

but he has accepted to live with it.
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Public acceptance of nuclear is reasonably good

• No major opponent groups
• No political party is strongly against
• No major negative motions in public
• Reasonable journalists
• However...

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Public acceptance of nuclear is reasonably good

• No political party is openly pro-nuclear
• Very small awareness of benefits from nuclear
• No interest for studies in nuclear
• Nuclear energy is not privatized yet

5
We went through much worse times

• A long story
• from communist regime
• through dynamic transition
• to more stable democratic environment

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In Former Yugoslavia

• Public Acceptance was not Important
• No Freedom of Speech, No Opposition
• Emerging Democratization in mid Eighties
• Some New Parties were Strongly against Nuclear
  Power
• Conference Ecology, Energy, Energy Saving
• 1987 Moratorium on new NPPs in YU and in SLO,
  valid until 2000

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In Former Yugoslavia

• Typical attitude of professionals in that time
• It is not our job to go public, somebody else
  will do that!
• Opponents did not have such concerns!
• They went very much public!

8
1990 First Democratic Government

• Green Party won 12 Minister for Energy was
  Green
• Shutdown of NPP Krko
• first immediately
• later until 1995
• Feasibility study Ordered by the Minister
• Proposal for National Referendum
• Never Passed the Parliamentary Comities

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Proposal for referendum in 1995

• October 27, 1995 37 Members of the Parliament
  Signed the Request for National Referendum
• NPP Krko should be Shut Down in Ten Years due to
  Safety Reasons
• After 2 Weeks some MPs Withdraw the Signature
• Initiative failed

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Proposal for referendum in 1996

• Middle of March 1996 Collection of 40.000
  Signatures of Citizens for Referendum
• Strong Campaign - Chernobyl Anniversary
• Only 2463 Signatures Collected - Total Failure
• There was no referendum!
• Green party ceased to exist

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1996 - the milestone

• 1996 could be considered as a milestone in public
  acceptance of nuclear energy
• End of learning phase of democracy in public
• people dont trust to everyone telling just
  anything
• journalists are more careful in promoting just
  any ideas
• many lessons learned by nuclear professionals

12
1999 - transport of new Steam Generators

• From Koper to Krko
• The traffic was hindered for 2 weeks
• Turned to promotional event
• Greenpeace tried with an action
• No major negative effect.

13
International influences

• Disputes with Croatia regarding the ownership of
  Krko NPP
• Attacks by Austrians
• In a way it is beneficial for public opinion
• You foreigners dont mess with us!

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Lessons Learned

• The Society has changed!

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Lessons Learned

• Decisions in a modern society can not be left to
  a Single Person or even to Professionals
• The Politics is Based on Reflections in Media
• Politicians Follow the Media to See what Voters
  Want
• Media can Manipulate People
• Half Truths, even Lies, can be Publicly Accepted
  if Repeated in Media

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Whom are we addressing?
Representative of general public my mother in
law.

• She is 73,
• whole life she was a housewife,
• excellent mother, grand and grand-grandmother.

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Whom are we addressing?
Representative of general public my mother in
law.

• Her main concern are children.
• She likes to take care of her house.
• She likes to watch TV.
• She doesn't care about politics, industry,
  energy...

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Whom are we addressing?
Representative of general public my mother in
law.
Suddenly we want her to make vital decisions
like do we need nuclear power? That is
tremendous challenge for nuclear professionals
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Did we change?

• Yes
• we are open,
• willing to communicate,
• always answering to questions with facts
• However
• sometimes still keeping too low profile
• dont know how to address emotionally

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Change of attitude

• not
• "Nuclear is Good, Believe us."
• but
• "Benefits of the Nuclear are these, Risks are
  such, now you have to Decide."

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Are we going too far?

• Opponents now claim we are oversimplifying
• The roles have changed
• in eighties we were blamed to be too
  mysterious, while they were using cheap,
  emotional attitude

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Who are the players

• NPP Krko
• Open for organized groups, information center
• Agency for Radwaste Management
• Information center, printed material, video
  tapes, books
• Nuclear Safety Administration
• Information about their activities
• Nuclear Training Centre
• Information center
• Nuclear Society of Slovenia

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Public Opinion about Nuclear Energy - 2000 Poll

• several hundred of visitors to information center
  involved
• most of them are from 7th and 8th grade of
  elementary school, age 14 to 15
• they are polled before they listen to the lecture
  or visit the exhibition

Results of the 2000 poll
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What are the reasons for the use of nuclear
energy?
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What are the reasons against the use of nuclear
energy ?
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What will be stored in the low-level radioactive
waste repository?
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What should be the future of nuclear energy in
Slovenia?
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(No Transcript)
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What is most harmful to the environment?
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(No Transcript)
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Calimero and Superman
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We are acting like Calimero

• Its injustice, I am so small and they are so big!

• No reason to do that to ourselves!

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Should act like Superman!

• Fastest growing energy sector
• Beneficial for environment
• It will be growing in future

• No reason to behave like Calimero!