Residents located within a 10-kilometer radius of the Ascó nuclear power plant received a message on their mobile phones this Wednesday starting at 11:00 AM as part of an ES Alert system drill. The test is part of the External Nuclear Emergency Plan, known as PENTA, and aimed to check the functioning of the mass alert system for the population in the event of a nuclear emergency.
The drill affected 13 municipalities in the so-called Zone I and the sending of the notice took place normally in the planned environment. The test reached Ascó, Vinebre, Flix, La Torre de l"Espanyol, Riba roja d"Ebre, Garcia, Móra d"Ebre, Móra la Nova, Tivissa, La Palma d"Ebre, Camposines as the nucleus of La Fatarella, Darmós as the nucleus of Tivissa and Guiamets.
Test in the Ascó power plant environment
During the development of the drill, the sub-delegate of the Government in Tarragona, Elisabet Romero, maintained contact with the delegate of the Government in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, as well as with the mayors of the involved towns and with Civil Protection of the Ministry of the Interior. The institutional follow-up occurred while the reception of the alert in the municipalities included in the planning zone was being verified.
The activation in Ascó was carried out two days after another similar test carried out in the vicinity of the Vandellòs II plant. Both actions are part of a series of exercises promoted by Civil Protection to improve the response capacity to emergencies and guarantee immediate warnings to citizens.
Favorable assessment, although with criticism
Ecologists in Action of Catalonia and Greenpeace positively valued the activation of the ES Alert system, although they warned that it is an insufficient measure if it is not accompanied by other actions in terms of security and planning.
"They cannot substitute years of non-compliance in nuclear safety by public administrations" - Ecologistes en Acció de Catalunya and Greenpeace
The two organizations recalled that, according to data from the Ombudsman, 58% of the municipalities located in nuclear emergency zones do not have an updated action plan. Based on that diagnosis, they demanded compliance with current regulations, in addition to accelerating the closure schedule of nuclear power plants and promoting the energy transition.
The Ascó test repeats the objective already recently tested in Vandellòs II and focuses on verifying that the alert system reaches the population of the affected area quickly. The test was limited to sending the message and tracking the device in the municipalities included within the planned safety radius.