doxa.comunicación | nº 31, pp. 153-166 | 159
July-December of 2020
Enrique Cobos Urbina
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
set in its 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, in which credibility derives from the trust Spanish citizens have that the Council will protect them from radiation, without touching on pro- or anti-nuclear feelings, as stated by Muñoz (2012:34).
Transparency is an objective of the CSN, which leads it to facilitate citizens’ access to information so as to enhance their understanding of the regulatory process, aiming to reduce the asymmetry of the information. The CSN understands that, as the competent authority, it has more accurate data than the national authorities and the Spanish public.
The CSN’s instruction IS-19 of October 22, 2008, on the requirements of the management system for nuclear installations, has two clauses of interest to this study. Point five –which refers to the responsibilities of members of the management– covers the importance of satisfying interest groups (5.2): “Senior managers shall bear in mind the expectations of interest groups in the activities and interactions of the processes of the management system, in order to raise the level of satisfaction of said interest groups and, at the same time, to guarantee that safety is in no way compromised”.
Point seven in this instruction deals with the execution and implementation of several processes and covers the subject of communication (7.3.16): “Information relevant to safety objectives, health and safety at work, environmental protection, physical safety, and other economic or quality objectives shall be made known to the members of the organization and, whenever necessary, to other interest groups”.
Another regulated commitment of Spanish nuclear plants is to follow the directives of the Basic Plan for Nuclear Emergencies18 (PLABEN) and the implementation, in case of emergency or incident, of its specific plans19:
Table 1. Exterior Nuclear Emergency Plan (PEN) by plant
PEN
Province
Plant
Cabinet Agreement
Date of Approval
Publication in the gazette (BOE)
PENBU
Burgos
Santa Mª de Garoña
16/10/09
20/10/09
10/11/09
PENTA
Tarragona
Ascó y Vandellós II
16/10/09
20/10/09
10/11/09
PENVA
Valencia
Cofrentes
16/10/09
20/10/09
10/11/09
PENCA
Cáceres
Almaraz
16/10/09
20/10/09
10/11/09
PENGUA
Guadalajara
Trillo
16/10/09
20/10/09
10/11/09
Source: Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear): www.csn.es.
These plans for exterior response (PEN) include among their functions –during the emergency– notifying any affected population, the Civil Authorities and the mass media. When an emergency takes place, the director of the PEN20 must have a communication team responsible for informing interest groups about any risks that the accident may pose, and about protection measures in the emergency plan itself. This team will be composed of representatives of the government and
18 The PLABEN was approved by Royal Decree on 25 of June, 2004 and is currently in force. This directive contains norms on how to act in line with the nuclear emergency plans of Civil Protection and falls under the competences of the central administration.
19 The Cabinet approved the exterior emergency plans for Spanish plants in 2006, named for their location: Burgos (PENBU), Cáceres (PENCA), Guadalajara (PENGUA), Tarragona (PENTA) and Valencia (PENVA).
20 As specified in the PLABEN (Title III), this post is to be assumed by the Government Delegate of the Region where the nuclear plant is located.