People’s Perception of Experimental Installations for Sustainable Energy: The Case of IFMIF-DONES

Abstract

Nuclear facilities are a main milestone in the long way to sustainable energy. Beyond the well-known fission centrals, the necessity of cleaner, more efficient and almost unlimited energy reducing waste to almost zero is a major challenge in the next decades. This is the case with nuclear fusion. Different experimental installations to definitively control this nuclear power are proliferating in different countries. However, citizens in the surroundings of cities and villages where these installations are going to be settled are frequently reluctant because of doubts about the expected benefits and the potential hazards. In this framework, knowing the opinion of people and their perception of experimental fusion facilities is essential for researchers, administrations and rulemaking bodies planning future fusion plants. This is the case for IFMIF-DONES, a neutron irradiation facility to determine the most suitable materials for the future fusion reactors. The construction of this installation is starting in Escúzar (Granada, Spain), and this work presents a large survey among 311 people living or working in the village. Their perception, fears, hopes and other variables are analyzed, and the conclusions for future installations and their impact on the energy policy are presented.

Evaluation of the impact of experimental fusion-aimed installations on their area of influence: the price of sustainable energy

“…A survey with 37 items about economical, social and hazard-related impacts of IFMIF-DONES was delivered among 311 inhabitants of Escúzar, the village where this facility is going to be built [10,11]. The choice of this kind of way to investigate the impact is due to the fact that surveys have been proven to be an effective tool in order to investigate psychosocial risks and other topics related to perception [12,13].…”