Abstract

In many countries that use nuclear power, solution for the long-term management of spent nuclear fuel is pending and decisions on the final disposal of nuclear waste are lacking.

The “unresolved” waste problem is an argument that nuclear communicators will surely encounter sooner or later in their endeavors to speak in favor of nuclear energy. At the same time, communicators must admit that there is no empirical evidence on the long-term safety of disposal, let alone that references to operating final repositories for high-level nuclear waste exist.

Despite of the challenges in nuclear waste communication, it is possible to gain public acceptance for nuclear waste disposal. For example, in Finland the site for the final repository of spent nuclear fuel was accepted by the locals and by the Parliament already 22 years ago, making it possible to apply operating license which is currently under review.

One of the factors of the successful siting is a communication strategy that identifies and aligns objectives, themes and result indicators for communication for each stakeholder group. The presentation focuses on the elements of the holistic communication strategy that is applicable to long-term siting projects for nuclear repositories. In addition to Finland, the presentation also discusses successful siting processes in Sweden and Switzerland.

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