Ecologists in Action and Greenpeace have described the ES Alert system activation drills in municipalities around Catalan nuclear power plants as positive but insufficient. The organizations maintain that these are partial and limited tests to sending messages to mobile phones and denounce sustained breaches in nuclear safety in the Ascó and Vandellòs area.
The first drill with ES Alert was carried out in zone I of Vandellòs II and this Wednesday morning another is planned in the municipalities closest to Ascó I and II. The organizations consider, however, that these tests do not cover the obligations set by European and Spanish regulations.
Criticism of the state of the external emergency plan
The two entities assure that the regulations require general drills every three years and partial drills annually. They also recall that the External Nuclear Emergency Plan for the Ascó and Vandellòs Power Plants, the PENTA, has not been renewed since 2009 and state that no general drill has been recorded in recent years.
Among the obligations they cite are theoretical and practical training, the provision and maintenance of necessary human and material resources, and prior information to the public, which must be updated every four years.
"Action is taken in a reactive and cosmetic manner, without addressing the structural deficits accumulated over years" - Ecologistes en Acció and Greenpeace
The organizations consider it especially significant that, after a report by the Ombudsman warning of these breaches, the sub-delegate of the Government in Tarragona publicly acknowledged that no previous drill had been carried out.
Municipalities without updated plans
A recent report by the Ombudsman states that 58% of municipalities located in a nuclear emergency zone do not have their emergency plan updated. In Zone I, within a radius of up to 10 kilometers, they do have this instrument. The situation changes in Zone II, which the entities describe as alarming, to the point of citing mayors who admit they do not even know they are obliged to have it.
The criticisms are not limited to the documentary planning. They also point to the difficulties of mobility and response in case of emergency. In this regard, they recall that the R 15 remains cut due to works between Riba roja d Ebre and Reus and that the duplication of sections of the C 12 remains pending.
Formal requirements to administrations
Ecologists in Action and Greenpeace have presented formal requests to the town councils in the area of influence of Ascó and Vandellòs, to the Government Delegate in Catalonia, to the Deputy Government Delegate in Tarragona, and to the Directorate General of Civil Protection and Emergencies. In these documents, they demand the immediate compliance with the current legal framework and warn of possible civil and criminal liabilities arising from continued inaction.
Position on the future of power plants
The entities also maintain that there are no technical or economic reasons that justify extending the life of the Catalan nuclear power plants. They maintain that the facilities are approaching the end of their useful life and that their energy cost is increasingly high. In their opinion, there are also no arguments of electrical system stability or supply guarantee that support an extension.
With this scenario, organizations demand that administrations move from partial tests to a complete review of preparedness for an eventual nuclear emergency in the Ascó and Vandellòs area, with updated plans, comprehensive drills, and clear information to the affected population.