OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS
FOR A NON-NUCLEAR COUNTRY THE CASE OF AUSTRIA
ANDREAS MOLIN
GENERAL CO-ORDINATION OF NUCLEAR AFFAIRS
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25 YEARS OF GOVERNMENT POLICY
 1990:
Furthermore, Austria will strive to be a „pacemaker“ regarding …
Central Europe being free of nuclear power plants
 2013:
Strengthen Austria’s trailblazing role by rigorously continuing the
country’s anti-nuclear power station policy!
The Government takes its global responsibility seriously by pursuing an
ambitious climate and anti-nuclear power station policy,

Work against direct and indirect funding of nuclear power stations; rigorously continue
stress tests; introduce operator liability;
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To safeguard Austrian safety and security interests, all legal and political options shall be
exploited against nuclear power stations and storage facilities sited close to our borders;
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A BRIEF HISTORY …
 1972:
 1978:
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1979:
1985:
1986:
1989:
1995:
1999:
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Breaking ground for NPP Zwentendorf
NPP Zwentendorf ready for operation
(fuel rods on-site but not inserted)
5 November: Referendum 49,33% YES, 50,47% NO
5 December: Anti-Nuclear Law prohibiting nuclear power,
subsequent mothballing of NPP Zwentendorf
Accident at NPP Three Miles Island
Consortium of the NPP decides on a „quiet“ liquidation
Chernobyl accident
Fall of Communism
Accession to the European Union
Constitutional ban of nuclear power
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1990-1994: THE EARLY YEARS
RISK REDUCTION & COOPERATION IN THE ENERGY SECTOR
 Austrian Expert Mission to NPP Bohunice V-1
(1990)
 International Commission for Independent Safety Analysis of
NPP Krško, ICISA
(1992-1993)
 Bilateral discussions regarding the completion of NPP Temelín
(1992-1994)
 Energy cooperation offers to CSFR and Slovenia
(1991)
 Energy partnerships (since 1994)
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THE EUROPEAN UNION
A GAME CHANGER?
 The Contracting Parties, … acknowledge that, as Contracting Parties to
the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community,
Member States decide to produce or not to produce nuclear energy
according to their specific policy orientations.
(Joint Declaration on the application of the Euratom Treaty, Accession
Treaty 1994)
 Such measures [as listed in para 1] shall not affect a Member State's
right to determine the conditions for exploiting its energy resources, its
choice between different energy sources and the general structure of its
energy supply, …
(Article 194 (2) TFEU)
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THE RULE OF LAW …
INFORMATION - CONSULTATION - COOPERATION
 Convention on Nuclear Safety (1994) , “Joint Convention” (1997)
 SEA Directive 2001/42/EC , corresponding to SEA Protocol (2003)
 Directive on public access to environmental information 2003/4/EC,
implementing Aarhus Convention (1998) - 1st pillar
 Shipments Directive 2006/117/Euratom
 “Waste” Directive 2011/70/Euratom
 BSS Directive 2013/59/Euratom
 EIA Directive 2011/92/EU, amended by 2014/52/EU, implementing
Espoo Convention (1991) and Aarhus Convention (1998) - 2nd pillar
- first EIA Directive already in 1985
 Nuclear Safety Directive 2009/71/Euratom, amended by
2014/87/Euratom
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OTHER MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS - EXAMPLES
 Security (9/11) versus Transparency and Public Participation
 Enlargement of the European Union (2004, 2007, 2013)
 Nuclear Renaissance - „renewed interest“
 construction of Gen-III plants
 development of Gen-IV plants
 Fukushima
 stress tests
 EP&R (HERCA-WENRA approach)
 Phase-out decisions
 Climate Change - decarbonisation of the energy sector
 Energy Union - five dimensions, including diversification
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FINALLY,
OPPORTUNITIES - LIMITATIONS
 Advocating a nuclear phase-out Energy union without nuclear power
 Transparency and participation in the nuclear sector
 Continuously improving nuclear safety - reducing risks
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ADVOCATING A NUCLEAR PHASE-OUT ENERGY UNION WITHOUT NUCLEAR POWER
Opportunities:
Limitations:
 Informal Ministerial Meetings
(2007, 2011)
 Diverse and diverging interests
of non-nuclear countries
(AT, IE, LUX …… PT, PL)
 The future role of nuclear power
in Europe - FAQs
(Publications 2007, 2013)
 Good neighbourly relations balancing interests
 Phase out of Nuclear Power in
Europe - From Vision to Reality
(Study 2014)
 Energy Union without Nuclear
Power - Utopia or Perspective
(Symposium 2015)
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TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION
IN THE NUCLEAR SECTOR
Opportunities:
Limitations:
 Interested stakeholders
 Limited resources of NGOs
 Developing legal framework
 Different levels of knowledge
and competence
 Stress tests
 Security
 Socio-cultural context
 Confidentiality
 Socio-cultural context
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CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING NUCLEAR SAFETY REDUCING RISKS
Opportunities:
Limitations:
 Stress tests
 Vested interests
 Evolving European Nuclear
Safety Framework
• Transboundary SEA
• Transboundary EIA
• Waste Directive
• BSS
• Nuclear Safety Directive
 „Economics“
 National sovereignty
 Room for interpretation in
Directives and Conventions
 Focus on safety, not risks
 “intermittent” public attention
 Bilateral Nuclear Information
Agreements
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CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING NUCLEAR SAFETY
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THANK YOU.
Andreas Molin, Director
Division I/6, General Coordination of Nuclear Affairs
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management
Stubenbastei 5, 1010 Vienna
T +43 1 51522 4005
[email protected]
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