For this strategic -dialogue-based- orientation of communication to work, the nuclear plants must make adequate use of different tools and channels of information to reach their public, such as social networks (Cobos, 2021) and web pages (Cobos & Recoder, 2019b).

Citizens’ right to information and the nuclear industry’s need to be accepted by critical stakeholders leads us to reflect on the importance of transparent information being provided by those responsible for Nuclear Communication. As commented by Ruiz de Apodaca (2011:71): “Transparency and information on the part of governments, regulators, and the companies themselves on the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy are absolutely necessary”.

Some prestigious international bodies in the atomic sector, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) or the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) do have recommendations on best practices regarding Nuclear Communication, although these are not obligatory.

The IAEA provides a manual on how nuclear plants should communicate with the public in case of nuclear or radiological emergency. This document contains recommendations to guide communication in case of accidents, though it is not intended to be mandatory. The manual includes such matters as the organization of communication during an emergency, the functions of each agency, a guide on how to act in the area of public announcements or informative reports. The agency also offers a Nuclear Communication manual with practical recommendations for common situations, although this has not been updated since 1994.

The NEI also has a guide with practical –non-binding– recommendations for the release of information to the public by the nuclear industry in case of accident.

4. Conclusions

Communication in the atomic sector is necessary, as recognized by the heads of communication in Spain’s nuclear plants (Cornadó, 2016; Alcázar, 2016; Godall, 2016; Gómez, 2017; Sala, 2017): “That industrial activity needs to be justified and explained and that is where communication comes in as an essential tool” (Cruz, 2017).

The protagonists of Nuclear Communication in Spain understand that communications activities have to be strategic-tactical due to the “social and political connotation” (Godall, 2016) which surrounds the atomic sector. And this multi-stakeholder dialogue must go accompanied by a dissemination of Nuclear Science, with the aim of making amends for any lack of information among the public, as reflected in opinion polls (Cobos, 2017; Alcázar, 2016).

Our review of all the nuclear legislation as well as our knowledge of the communication praxes of nuclear plants in Spain –thanks to the testimonies of the communication managers –allows us to affirm that the nuclear plants are free to organize communication with their interest groups in circumstances of ordinary activity, as the law demands, in general terms, transparency and that citizens have access to the information.

However, the atomic plants have to inform the regulator about any event which occurs in the nuclear installations (Cobos & Recoder, 2019a). Crisis communication is codified in cases of incidents or accidents, though not in other situations which present no risk to people’s health or to the environment, but are related to events critical for the organization (for