The discussions of the legitimacy of the nuclear Spanish industry

Abstract

The controversial use of nuclear energy is a key issue in the current public debate about  international energy policies. The analysis of this situation from the perspective of the studies in Science and Technology for Peace,contributes to throw light on the process of introduction and development of nuclear energy in Spain and the international context, in order to clarify arguments and positions in the global energetic context. In this framework, this paper attempts to chart the variations in the discourse of the spanish nuclear industry about the main source of conflicts associated to nuclear energy, through the analysis of publications of the Forum of the Spanish Nuclear Industry during the peak of that industry and the comparison with the current discourse. For that purpose, the documents published by the Spanish Nuclear Forum during the periods 1963-1977 and 2000-2004 have been analyzed, showing a remarkable variation in the arguments about climate change or public acceptance; changes in the positions on issues such as generation costs or security in nuclear power reactors; meanwhile the discourse remains very similar in a fundamental matter as the destiny of radioactive wastes.