Planning for Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities: Some Views of Younger Stakeholders

One of the prerequisite for nuclear power to be regarded as a sustainable energy source is that no burden be put on future generations. One important step in the financial and technical planning for decommissioning is therefore to investigate, describe and explain the opinions and values of especially the younger stakeholders. In this article, some results from current field studies in Poland and Slovakia are presented. The aggregated survey is based on 1444 personal interviews in four towns in Poland and one geographic area in Slovakia with a near 100% response rate. The main conclusions from this field study may be summarised as follows: • Sustainable energy sources are favoured (nuclear power may be included if waste is managed properly). • Nuclear power is seen as a potential future semi-sustainable energy source by nearly 1/4th of the respondents. • The values are based on safety and environmental aspects. • The polluter pays principle (extended polluter responsibility) is accepted. • There are doubts regarding the compliance with these principles in the implementation of the disposal of the nuclear residues. • Means and modes of communication with the younger stakeholders need further development. • No difference in views was found between the sexes. • Nearly one 1/5th of the respondents are open to accept reprocessing.