Difference between revisions of "European Atomic Forum"

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{{Template:NuclearSpin}}
 
==Background==
 
==Background==
  
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The European Atomic Forum (FORATOM) is the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. It says that its "main purpose is to promote the use of nuclear energy in Europe by representing the interests of this important and multi-faceted industrial sector."
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The European Atomic Forum (FORATOM) is the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. It says that its "main purpose is to promote the use of nuclear energy in Europe."<ref>[http://www.foratom.org/about-us.html About us], FORATOM website, 22 November 2012</ref>
  
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The membership of Foratom is made up of 16 national nuclear associations that are active right across Europe as well as the companies that they represent. Foratom represents [[EDF]] and [[Areva]] of France, [[RWE]], [[EON]] and [[EnBW]] of Germany, [[BNFL]] and [[British Energy]] in the UK, [[Electrabel]] in Belgium, [[Urenco]] (UK, Germany and the Netherlands), [[AXPO]]and [[Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke]] AG (NOK) in Switzerland, [[Endesa]] and [[ENUSA]] in Spain, [[Vattenfall]] and [[TVO]] in the Nordic region, [[CEZ]] in the Czech Republic, [[Nuclearelectrica]]  in Romania, and [[Slovenské elektrárne]] in Slovakia.http://www.foratom.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=50
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Its 2011 annual report says building new nuclear power stations across Europe is a "a no-brainer", adding "the largest base-load electricity source that can realistically fulfil our security of supply, climate change and competitiveness requirements is nuclear".<ref name=annual>[http://www.foratom.org/publications.raw?task=callelement&item_id=45&element=0ab27474-adf5-41db-8395-e2f040908c60&method=download Foratom in 2011], Foratom, 2011, accessed 29 January 2013</ref>
  
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==Pro-Nuclear Conference==
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==Members==
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Foratom’s members includes 17 national nuclear associations, including the UK’s [[Nuclear Industry Association]] and nearly 800 companies “from Europe's (and the world's) largest nuclear utilities and nuclear fuel cycle companies to other undertakings engaged in the transport of nuclear materials and the management of radioactive waste”. <ref>[http://www.foratom.org/our-members.html Our members], FORATOM website, 7 February 2012</ref>
  
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On 19 October 2005, a seminar entitled Nuclear Energy: Meeting the challenge of climate change, took place at the European Parliament. Over 150 people, including parliamentarians, officials from the European Commission and the Council, industry representatives, NGOs and academics attended. It was organized by FORATOM and chaired by Finnish MEP, Eija-Riitta Korhola (EPP-ED), who is a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. The seminar focused on global and EU climate change policies and on nuclear energy’s role in a post-2012 international climate change framework. During the seminar, a cross-party group of twenty-five MEPs today signed a joint Declaration on climate change and nuclear energy. This initiative adds political weight to the shared conviction among an increasing number of MEPs, as well as national politicians, scientists and NGOs that nuclear energy can help the EU to meet its Kyoto Protocol CO2-reduction commitments and mitigate the effects of climate change.
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Member companies include [[EDF]] and [[Areva]] of France, [[RWE]], [[Eon]] and [[EnBW]] of Germany, [[BNFL]] and [[British Energy]] in the UK, [[Urenco]] (UK, Germany and the Netherlands) and [[Vattenfall]] in the Nordic region.
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In his opening address, FORATOM President, Eduardo Gonzales Gomez stated that climate change is “a massive challenge to face,� adding that: “the number of MEPs, European Commission’s officials, industry representatives, journalists and environmentalists here today reflects how seriously that challenge is viewed.� Public opinion is also increasingly aware of this challenge and of the contribution that nuclear energy can make to the fight against climate change. As FLASH reported last month, the recent Eurobarometer survey showed that “62% of Europe’s citizens believe that nuclear energy produces less CO2 than coal and gas.�
 
  
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Ms Korhola then described her “journey into reality�. She emphasized that she was not born with “a nuclear flag in my hand�. As a member of the Environment Committee, she initially opposed nuclear power on safety and waste management grounds. However the debate in Finland about whether to build a fifth nuclear power plant made her realize that climate change poses a much greater threat than nuclear accidents or radioactive waste. She added that Europe’s dependence on Russian imports of fossil fuels can affect the EU’s human rights policy. According to Mrs. Korhola, “atmosphere is not equipped with ideological filters� and unfounded fears must be challenged in order to develop a sensible viewpoint. Changing views among politicians, scientists and even some environmentalists imply that Mrs. Korhola is not the only one to have made that “journey into reality.�
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Documents released under Freedom of Information, show that BNFL's Annual subscription to the NIA for the period of 1st April 2005 to 31st March 2006, was £200,000. Including VAT the total was £235,000. <ref>NIA, [http://www.powerbase.info/images/2/28/Nuc61inv.pdf ''Invoice to BNFL'' (pdf)], 1 April, 2005.</ref>
  
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MEP Terry Wynn, (PSE, UK), Chairman of the MEP Forum for the Future of Nuclear Energy and a long time pro-nuclear campaigner, presented the MEP Declaration on Climate Change and Nuclear Energy, which he had signed along with 24 other MEPs.
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==Staff==
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He passionately advocates the role of nuclear in fighting climate change: “We can’t have a debate on climate change without discussing nuclear energy, and while I encourage renewable energy sources, let’s get real, none of them will ever run the Brussels metro system.� The central theme of Terry Wynn’s speech was that “the problems and the solutions for nuclear power are neither technical nor environmental, but political ones� The solutions exist for managing waste effectively and safely, like underground storage and retrievability – the real solution is a matter of political will. The signing of the MEP Declaration is a manifestation of that political will.
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*President: [[Mats Ladeborn]], Director for Nuclear Development, [[Vattenfall]]
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*Director General: [[Jean-Pol Poncelet]]
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*Institutional Affairs Director: [[Richard Ivens]] 
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*Institutional Affairs Managers: [[Ronald Blasko]], [[Guy Parker]] and [[Berta Picamal]]<ref>[http://www.foratom.org/foratom-president.html Foratom president] and [http://www.foratom.org/institutional-affairs.html Institutional affairs], Foratom website, accessed 29 January 2013</ref>
  
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The seminar’s morning session was entitled “EU Energy and Climate Change Policies�. Among the key speakers who introduced the debate were: Dr Joachim Ehrenberg, Policy Officer, DG Enterprise and Industry, European Commission, who presented the EU’s Lisbon Strategy and Climate Change Policy and spoke about the Emission Trading Scheme, which aims to promote competitiveness and a reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Mrs. Korhola then urged that what is needed to fight climate change effectively is a completely new way of thinking which instead of being based upon fossil fuels is based upon energy efficiency and savings, renewables and non/low-emitting sources of energy. She concluded by saying: “…climate change will not be met by nuclear alone, but in the meantime nuclear energy should be used to its fullest potential.�
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==EU lobbying==
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FORATOM has 8 lobbying staff, four of whom have access to the European Parliament, and spent €1,971,611 on lobbying EU institutions in 2010.<ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/consultation/displaylobbyist.do?id=42433582-82 FORATOM's entry on EU lobbying transparency register], 11 June 2012</ref>
  
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Juha Poikola, Vice-President, Communications, Bioenergy Strategies, Pohjolan Voima Oy (PVO), presented the Finnish energy model. He explained that Finland has 10 years of experience in liberalising the energy market and can exploit efficiently the electricity capacity of Nordic countries. Finland’s decision to build a fifth nuclear power plant was made to encourage competitive electricity prices, to help reduce CO2 emissions and to promote the increased use of biomass.
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==Downplaying Fukushima==
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FORATOM has sought to play down the importance of the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011. While praising the industry's "excellent safety profile", it said: "What happened at the Fukushima
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Daiichi nuclear power plant fades into obscurity when compared with the fact that so many lives were lost following the earthquake and tsunami. Those who were quick to say that the Fukushima bell has tolled for the nuclear industry would do well to remember this fact.. it is equally important to remember that not one single life has been lost as a direct result of the nuclear accident."<ref name=annual></ref>
  
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Chris Horner, Director of External Relations, European Enterprise Institute, questioned the efficiency of the Kyoto protocol and the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). He stated that: “Kyoto strangely prohibits its adherents from using nuclear power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.� He is not impressed by the ETS either, advocating instead the use of taxation as a means of “encouraging� industries and households to reduce their emissions.
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==Nukes will save the climate==
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On 19 October 2005, FORATOM organised a seminar entitled "Nuclear Energy: Meeting the challenge of climate change", at the European Parliament.  
  
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Jean-Yves Caneill, Environment and Sustainable Development, EDF Group, stated that there is no simple energy solution in the fight against climate change, since politicians must take into account what primary energy sources are domestically available. However, given it is possible to produce electricity without emitting greenhouse gases, non-emitting sources should be prioritised such as nuclear and renewables. It is also necessary to control energy demand.
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During the seminar, a cross-party group of twenty-five MEPs today signed a joint Declaration on climate change and nuclear energy, including the British MEPs [[Den Dover]], [[Roger Helmer]], [[Geoffrey Van Orden]] and [[Terry Wynn]]. According to FORATOM: "This initiative adds political weight to the shared conviction among an increasing number of MEPs, as well as national politicians, scientists and NGOs that nuclear energy can help the EU to meet its Kyoto Protocol CO2-reduction commitments and mitigate the effects of climate change."<ref>Brian Johnson, [http://www.theparliament.com/no_cache/latestnews/news-article/newsarticle/meps-urge-eu-leaders-to-get-real-on-nuclear-energy MEPs urge EU leaders to ‘get real’ on nuclear energy], www.theparliament.com, 18 October 2005.</ref>
  
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Terry Wynn, seen as a long-time pro-nuclear campaigner, told the conference: “We can’t have a debate on climate change without discussing nuclear energy, and while I encourage renewable energy sources, let’s get real, none of them will ever run the Brussels metro system”.
  
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During the lively debate that followed, Mark Johnston of Greenpeace gave an NGO perspective. He asked why the speakers appeared against the ETS when, in his view the nuclear industry should be for it. He also questioned the decision of the US to invest in nuclear new-build and the overall competitiveness of nuclear power. Mrs. Korhola replied that she had simply noticed that the ETS has not achieved good results so far. Eduardo Gonzales Gomez, FORATOM President, said that the US decision to invest in nuclear power plants was made in order to fight climate change.
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The central theme of Wynn’s speech was that “the problems and the solutions for nuclear power are neither technical nor environmental, but political ones”. Other speakers included known climate sceptic Chris Horner, the Director of External Relations for the [[European Enterprise Institute]] – he also represents the [[Competitive Enterprise Institute]] and is counsel to the [[Cooler Heads Coalition]].<ref>[http://www.foratom.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=111&Itemid=1 FORATOM website]</ref>
  
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=="Time to seize the initiative"==
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In March 2006, FORATOM hosted the second biannual pro-nuclear conference, under the banner "Nuclear energy: Riding the Winds of Change".
  
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In the afternoon, delegates switched their attention to “Nuclear energy’s role in a post-2012 International Climate Change Framework�. Jean-Eudes Moncomble, Secretary General, French Member Committee/ World Energy Council (WEC), presented the results of the WEC study on energy and climate change. WEC is keen to find solutions to fight climate change while ensuring better access to energy supply for all and strongly advocates improving energy efficiency, using all the non-emitting technologies - including nuclear power and renewables - and increasing investments in R&D.
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The conference literature argued: "Rising oil and gas prices are unsustainable. Climate change continues to threaten the environment. Energy demand continues to spiral. The current energy mix cannot adequately meet that demand, so the spectre of power cuts and black-outs could return to haunt us. The scenario is a familiar one. The economic and environmental challenges remain the same. But the energy debate has a new sense of direction and impetus. Economists, scientists, politicians and environmentalists are increasingly recognizing that nuclear energy is the only major energy source that can provide a secure supply of affordable and environmentally-friendly electricity. The time is ripe for the nuclear community to seize the initiative".
  
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Mark Johnston then threw down the gauntlet by presenting Greenpeace’s position on nuclear power. It believes that it should be phased-out, “…not only because of the risk of accidents, the threat of proliferation and the waste issue, but also because it is not competitive because of the liabilities issue. He dismissed the Finnish model, saying that the company was granted an unrealistically preferential interest rate to build the fifth plant. Finally, he presented an alternative scenario for filling the gap left by the phase-out of nuclear power called “Energy Revolution: a sustainable pathway to a clean energy future for Europe�, which has been developed by Europe Greenpeace and the Institute of Technical Thermodynamics at the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
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The conference chairman was [[Mike Parker]] from [[BNFL]]. Other speakers included [[Giles Chichester]] MEP, [[Pierre Gadonneix]], the chairman of [[EDF]] and [[Andris Piebalds]] EU Commissioner for Energy.<ref>[http://www.foratom.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=1 FORATOM website]</ref>
  
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Prof. Risto Tarjanne, Professor of Energy Economics, Lappeenranta University of Technology, presented the project of Olkiluoto 3 and reassured Mark Johnston on the competitiveness of Finland’s power sector.
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==Website==
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[http://www.foratom.org www.foratom.org]
  
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Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca, MEP (EPP-ED, Spain), First Vice-President of the European Parliament responded by saying that: “Nuclear energy makes a valuable contribution towards achieving Europe's economic, energy supply and environmental objectives. The nuclear energy option should be kept open and nuclear expertise retained�.
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==Notes==
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<references/>
  
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Alain Bucaille, Special Adviser to the Chairman of AREVA, said that while the world is facing the challenge of climate change, energy demand is bound to increase: “We must, therefore, use the technologies that are available now to face up to climate change, namely nuclear power and renewable energy, and improve energy efficiency.�
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[[Category: Nuclear Spin]]
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[[Category:Pro-nuclear organisations]]
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Dr. Harmut Pamme, Vice-President, Nuclear Power Plants, RWE Power AG, pointed out that nuclear power is the only energy that meets the three crucial criteria: “….it’s CO2-free, it’s competitive and it ensures security of supply.�
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[[Category:Pro-nuclear organisations lobbying the EU]]
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During the debate, Derek Taylor, Advisor, European Commission (DG TREN), refuted Johnston’s argument about the interest rate, declaring that according to the European Commission Olkiluoto 3 was not granted any preferential interest rate.
 
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In her closing remarks, Mrs. Korhola reasserted that: “No single source should be ruled out or prioritised for ideological or political reasons. However, we strongly believe that the increased use of nuclear energy, as the largest single contributor to the fight against climate change, is essential.�
 
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The seminar was followed by a press conference on the MEP Declaration. 13 journalists and the Europe by Satellite TV channel covered the press conference. Subsequent press coverage has been extensive.
 

Latest revision as of 12:07, 4 February 2013

Nuclear spin.png This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Background

The European Atomic Forum (FORATOM) is the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. It says that its "main purpose is to promote the use of nuclear energy in Europe."[1]

Its 2011 annual report says building new nuclear power stations across Europe is a "a no-brainer", adding "the largest base-load electricity source that can realistically fulfil our security of supply, climate change and competitiveness requirements is nuclear".[2]

Members

Foratom’s members includes 17 national nuclear associations, including the UK’s Nuclear Industry Association and nearly 800 companies “from Europe's (and the world's) largest nuclear utilities and nuclear fuel cycle companies to other undertakings engaged in the transport of nuclear materials and the management of radioactive waste”. [3]

Member companies include EDF and Areva of France, RWE, Eon and EnBW of Germany, BNFL and British Energy in the UK, Urenco (UK, Germany and the Netherlands) and Vattenfall in the Nordic region.

Documents released under Freedom of Information, show that BNFL's Annual subscription to the NIA for the period of 1st April 2005 to 31st March 2006, was £200,000. Including VAT the total was £235,000. [4]

Staff

EU lobbying

FORATOM has 8 lobbying staff, four of whom have access to the European Parliament, and spent €1,971,611 on lobbying EU institutions in 2010.[6]

Downplaying Fukushima

FORATOM has sought to play down the importance of the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011. While praising the industry's "excellent safety profile", it said: "What happened at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant fades into obscurity when compared with the fact that so many lives were lost following the earthquake and tsunami. Those who were quick to say that the Fukushima bell has tolled for the nuclear industry would do well to remember this fact.. it is equally important to remember that not one single life has been lost as a direct result of the nuclear accident."[2]

Nukes will save the climate

On 19 October 2005, FORATOM organised a seminar entitled "Nuclear Energy: Meeting the challenge of climate change", at the European Parliament.

During the seminar, a cross-party group of twenty-five MEPs today signed a joint Declaration on climate change and nuclear energy, including the British MEPs Den Dover, Roger Helmer, Geoffrey Van Orden and Terry Wynn. According to FORATOM: "This initiative adds political weight to the shared conviction among an increasing number of MEPs, as well as national politicians, scientists and NGOs that nuclear energy can help the EU to meet its Kyoto Protocol CO2-reduction commitments and mitigate the effects of climate change."[7]

Terry Wynn, seen as a long-time pro-nuclear campaigner, told the conference: “We can’t have a debate on climate change without discussing nuclear energy, and while I encourage renewable energy sources, let’s get real, none of them will ever run the Brussels metro system”.

The central theme of Wynn’s speech was that “the problems and the solutions for nuclear power are neither technical nor environmental, but political ones”. Other speakers included known climate sceptic Chris Horner, the Director of External Relations for the European Enterprise Institute – he also represents the Competitive Enterprise Institute and is counsel to the Cooler Heads Coalition.[8]

"Time to seize the initiative"

In March 2006, FORATOM hosted the second biannual pro-nuclear conference, under the banner "Nuclear energy: Riding the Winds of Change".

The conference literature argued: "Rising oil and gas prices are unsustainable. Climate change continues to threaten the environment. Energy demand continues to spiral. The current energy mix cannot adequately meet that demand, so the spectre of power cuts and black-outs could return to haunt us. The scenario is a familiar one. The economic and environmental challenges remain the same. But the energy debate has a new sense of direction and impetus. Economists, scientists, politicians and environmentalists are increasingly recognizing that nuclear energy is the only major energy source that can provide a secure supply of affordable and environmentally-friendly electricity. The time is ripe for the nuclear community to seize the initiative".

The conference chairman was Mike Parker from BNFL. Other speakers included Giles Chichester MEP, Pierre Gadonneix, the chairman of EDF and Andris Piebalds EU Commissioner for Energy.[9]

Website

www.foratom.org

Notes

  1. ↑ About us, FORATOM website, 22 November 2012
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Foratom in 2011, Foratom, 2011, accessed 29 January 2013
  3. ↑ Our members, FORATOM website, 7 February 2012
  4. ↑ NIA, Invoice to BNFL (pdf), 1 April, 2005.
  5. ↑ Foratom president and Institutional affairs, Foratom website, accessed 29 January 2013
  6. ↑ FORATOM's entry on EU lobbying transparency register, 11 June 2012
  7. ↑ Brian Johnson, MEPs urge EU leaders to ‘get real’ on nuclear energy, www.theparliament.com, 18 October 2005.
  8. ↑ FORATOM website
  9. ↑ FORATOM website
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