EPSU raises concerns on nuclear stress tests with Commissioner Oettinger

(12 May 2011) European Commissioner for Energy Oettinger organized a meeting with several European organizations such as Municipalities with nuclear facilities, environmental organizations and EPSU.

EPSU used the opportunity to argue that the trade unions should be involved in the nuclear stress tests and that these should be comprehensive and transparent. Issues such as subcontracting and evaluating different scenarios if the worst case scenarios have been taken into account were raised. Other organizations also agreed that the stress tests should be comprehensive, the process transparent and conclusive; particular points:
- Emergency plans need to be considered, and including if these are well staffed
- The stress test proposal of WENRA was criticized for not taking sufficient account of other factors including human, airplane crashes etc. Greenpeace argued that the proposal of West European Nuclear Regulators Association to let the nuclear operators (called licensees in European jargon) do the tests themselves and that they only have to forward the results to the overseeing regulator was not a good guarantee for the independence. This was echoed by several other speakers who referred to issues of regulatory capture and nuclear operators and the nuclear regulators being too close and in which the latter lose their critical perspective.
- The Nuclear Safety Directive deals with formal processes but says little on the content or material substance.
The Commissioner welcomed the contributions and said he would bring the critical perspective forward to a meeting of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group. This group would finalise the criteria for the stress tests 12-13 May. The Commissioner mentioned that he would seek to organize further meetings. EPSU’s Deputy General Secretary participated in the meeting.

- For the letter of EPSU to the Commission

- For the ETUC reaction to the nuclear disaster in Japan