The underwater spent fuel storage facility project in the Hague was the focus of a preliminary consultation under the aegis of the guarantors of the French National Public Debate Commission (CNDP) between November 2021 and July 2022. The guarantors of the consultation process noted in their assessment that this preliminary consultation resulted in “genuine, wide-ranging and productive public participation” using multiple participation methods. A wide-ranging public had their say during the debates, whether to provide information, make suggestions, or support, question or challenge the project: local residents, elected officials, non- profits, institutions, authorities, experts, trade union organisations, industrialists, nuclear operators, the media, etc. Following on from this preliminary consultation, EDF is currently putting in place a structured system of exchange and dialogue with locals known as “ongoing consultation” to continue working with local stakeholders and the public on the issues identified.
The planned construction of the Ricanto power plant led to a consultation being held between 19 May and 24 May 2021. High levels of participation by non-profits led to discussions being engaged on topics such as atmospheric emissions and the risks of flooding and submersion. However, EDF PEI noted poor attendance among Ajaccio residents and those living close to Vazzio. To address this, it implemented new informational resources, including a quarterly newsletter and a dedicated website with an FAQ system.
From 6 September 2018 to 31 March 2019, the general consultation on improving the safety of thirty-two 900MWe French reactors set up by the French High Committee for Transparency and Information on Nuclear Safety (HCTISN) with ASN, IRSN, and ANCCLI, featured EDF – which was tasked with handling periodic safety reviews – and the main stakeholders in the safety of nuclear power plants in France. 16 public meetings brought together a total of 1,300 people; 1,600 contributions were made to the digital platform consulted by 4,000 visitors. The public were invited to express their opinions about the “Response to Objectives” brief in respect of the fourth periodic review of these reactors, submitted to the French Nuclear Safety Authority by EDF. EDF produced a public report detailing lessons learned from this consultation (1).
Once this general consultation phase had been completed, the specific public enquiries into each reactor began in 2022 and will last several years.
The first public enquiry into Tricastin power plant (Drôme) reactor 1 ran from 13 January to 14 February 2022. The enquiry committee published its conclusions on 15 March, issuing a favourable opinion on the measures suggested by EDF plus 12 comments. The public enquiry into reactor 2 at the same power plant ran from 14 November to 16 December 2022. It gathered 1,274 contributions and 74% favourable opinions. The enquiry is awaiting the enquiry committee’s conclusions and the prefect’s decision. Three public enquiries were also organised simultaneously by the Ain Prefecture from 6 February to 8 March 2023 for Bugey power plant reactors 2, 4 and 5.
The practical outworking of dialogue relating to local situations takes the form of action plans: from a very early stage, these include a question and complaints handling process. One example is the project in Nachtigal (see section 3.3.2.3.4 “Implementation of human rights commitments”).
The EDF group constantly monitors the quality of stakeholder dialogue and relations. An internal guide to evaluate consultations (in the “Stakeholder dialogue” collection) destined for managers and project managers has been put together jointly with EDF entities. An intranet site has also been set up to improve experience-sharing between project teams.
This is the clearest benefit of engaging dialogue directly at stakeholder level.
As part of the consultation, the Atlantic Shores project has committed to taking care of the environment, more specifically via a programme to attenuate its impacts on marine mammals; this includes acoustic monitoring and vessel speed limits. Atlantic Shores is also committed to avoid pile-driving during right whale migration periods and at night.
Dialogue and consultation encourage questions to be raised, thereby improving project design; this can result in significant changes to developments, routes, and the location of structures.
The Poutès dam, inaugurated on 24 October 2022, was the focus of twenty years of consultation to co-construct a solution with all stakeholders, including elected officials, non-profits, and a range of experts.
A steering Committee set up under the auspices of the Haute-Loire prefect brought together all project stakeholders (elected officials, environmental protection non- profits and government departments) to validate each major stage of the Nouveau Poutès project. Co-developed in partnership, the project engaged all stakeholders in every aspect of the project, including technical aspects, scientific monitoring, local integration, and communication.
This new project will help to preserve biodiversity, as the flow of water will not only facilitate the movement of salmon and improve living conditions for aquatic invertebrates, but also respect the river’s full biodiversity. This project took 3 years of building work. Using a highly innovative technique, the dam (gates opened twice a year) will allow salmon to move freely along the Allier to reproduce. The Monistrol sur Allier plant now powers the equivalent of 36,000 homes.
This is especially applicable in respect of road traffic and noise pollution impacts during a worksite.
Regarding the fourth periodic safety review of 1,300MWe reactors, in 2022 the HCTISN held fresh elections to appoint the members of the Policy Committee (PC) and Steering Committee (SC, chaired by EDF), which will be tasked with organising the general consultation scheduled for early 2024. The EDF group is already participating in the technical dialogue initiated by IRSN and ANCCLI for which the first meeting was held on 9 December 2022. EDF will pay special attention to identified good practices and feedback from the RP4 900 consultation.
