Abstract
France occupies a special position in the world of nuclear power. Within a period of eleven years, from 1974 to 1985, thirty four 900 We units were commissioned. In 1988, 70% of the power generated was of nuclear origin. In the wake of the oil crisis of 1973, it was easier to get the nuclear programme accepted by French public opinion. But a major public relations effort was required to win over a large proportion of opinion which was against development of nuclear energy. Public opinion was thus gradually converted, reaching the proportion of more than 65% in favour by the end of 1985. And then the Chernobyl accident occurred. The proportion of people in favour of nuclear fell by more than 15%, and the communication policy had to be reconsidered in an effort to find the best means of reassuring the public. The analysis of French public opinion has led to a two track approach to a new communication strategy: Developing Confidence, this is the purpose of a day-today communication, and Anticipating Crisis Situations in order to be prepared to cope with them if they occur. It has been concluded that the success of nuclear power does not only
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Haller, Pierre
[1]
- Electricite de France, Nuclear and Fossil Generation Division (France)
Citation Formats
Haller, Pierre.
Nuclear facilities and public information at Electricite de France.
IAEA: N. p.,
1989.
Web.
Haller, Pierre.
Nuclear facilities and public information at Electricite de France.
IAEA.
Haller, Pierre.
1989.
"Nuclear facilities and public information at Electricite de France."
IAEA.
@misc{etde_20555996,
title = {Nuclear facilities and public information at Electricite de France}
author = {Haller, Pierre}
abstractNote = {France occupies a special position in the world of nuclear power. Within a period of eleven years, from 1974 to 1985, thirty four 900 We units were commissioned. In 1988, 70% of the power generated was of nuclear origin. In the wake of the oil crisis of 1973, it was easier to get the nuclear programme accepted by French public opinion. But a major public relations effort was required to win over a large proportion of opinion which was against development of nuclear energy. Public opinion was thus gradually converted, reaching the proportion of more than 65% in favour by the end of 1985. And then the Chernobyl accident occurred. The proportion of people in favour of nuclear fell by more than 15%, and the communication policy had to be reconsidered in an effort to find the best means of reassuring the public. The analysis of French public opinion has led to a two track approach to a new communication strategy: Developing Confidence, this is the purpose of a day-today communication, and Anticipating Crisis Situations in order to be prepared to cope with them if they occur. It has been concluded that the success of nuclear power does not only rely on engineering experience but also on public communication. The availability factor of utilities can depend not only on the technical perfection of the installations but also on the quality of this communication, which is not an exact science but rather an art with its own rules. This communication needs bridges between exact sciences and human sciences. Everyone should be involved, not professionals only. It should be considered as a cultural value by every one working with nuclear energy, at the same level as safety, quality and economic concerns. A so called 'Master Plan for Nuclear Communication' was setup. It defines the targets, the organisation, the messages, the methods and the means which are necessary to implement this communication nationwide and locally. It is based on a large commitment of the local site managers and public relation officers. The efficiency of a communication policy depends on the, cooperation of the different actors: public relation officers and technicians, local organization level and corporate level, international cooperation. All together, the best possible public relation system should exist. The planet Earth is a village. The difficulties with public acceptance in one country will hit all the others. There is need of exchanging experience in order to improve the quality of 'nuclear' messages and of the methods to transmit them.}
place = {IAEA}
year = {1989}
month = {Jul}
}
title = {Nuclear facilities and public information at Electricite de France}
author = {Haller, Pierre}
abstractNote = {France occupies a special position in the world of nuclear power. Within a period of eleven years, from 1974 to 1985, thirty four 900 We units were commissioned. In 1988, 70% of the power generated was of nuclear origin. In the wake of the oil crisis of 1973, it was easier to get the nuclear programme accepted by French public opinion. But a major public relations effort was required to win over a large proportion of opinion which was against development of nuclear energy. Public opinion was thus gradually converted, reaching the proportion of more than 65% in favour by the end of 1985. And then the Chernobyl accident occurred. The proportion of people in favour of nuclear fell by more than 15%, and the communication policy had to be reconsidered in an effort to find the best means of reassuring the public. The analysis of French public opinion has led to a two track approach to a new communication strategy: Developing Confidence, this is the purpose of a day-today communication, and Anticipating Crisis Situations in order to be prepared to cope with them if they occur. It has been concluded that the success of nuclear power does not only rely on engineering experience but also on public communication. The availability factor of utilities can depend not only on the technical perfection of the installations but also on the quality of this communication, which is not an exact science but rather an art with its own rules. This communication needs bridges between exact sciences and human sciences. Everyone should be involved, not professionals only. It should be considered as a cultural value by every one working with nuclear energy, at the same level as safety, quality and economic concerns. A so called 'Master Plan for Nuclear Communication' was setup. It defines the targets, the organisation, the messages, the methods and the means which are necessary to implement this communication nationwide and locally. It is based on a large commitment of the local site managers and public relation officers. The efficiency of a communication policy depends on the, cooperation of the different actors: public relation officers and technicians, local organization level and corporate level, international cooperation. All together, the best possible public relation system should exist. The planet Earth is a village. The difficulties with public acceptance in one country will hit all the others. There is need of exchanging experience in order to improve the quality of 'nuclear' messages and of the methods to transmit them.}
place = {IAEA}
year = {1989}
month = {Jul}
}