The entities have pointed out that the drills, limited to sending mobile messages via the ES-Alert system, are partial and do not address the legal obligations regarding nuclear safety that, according to them, administrations have systematically failed to comply with for years.
According to European and Spanish regulations, general drills are required every three years and partial ones annually. They recalled that the External Nuclear Emergency Plan for the Ascó and Vandellòs Plants (PENTA) has not been updated since 2009, and there is no record of any general-scope drill in recent years.
The first of the ES-Alert drills took place in Zone I of the Vandellòs II nuclear plant, and the second was carried out in the municipalities closest to Ascó I and II. The organizations emphasized that current legislation requires, in addition to these periodic drills, theoretical and practical training for the potentially affected population, provision of necessary human and material resources, and updated public information every four years.
“"According to a recent report by the Ombudsman, 58% of municipalities in a nuclear emergency zone do not have an updated Nuclear Emergency Plan. While municipalities in Zone I - within a 10-kilometer radius - do have one, the situation in Zone II is alarming, with mayors admitting they don't even know they are obliged to have it."
Adding to this situation are serious deficiencies in evacuation infrastructures, such as the closure of the R-15 between Riba-roja d'Ebre and Reus due to works, and the pending duplication of sections of the C-12.
The organizations have submitted formal requests to the municipalities in the influence area of the plants, to the Government Delegate in Catalonia, the Government Subdelegate in Tarragona, and the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies, demanding immediate compliance with the current legal framework and warning of potential civil and criminal liabilities resulting from continued inaction.
They reiterated that there are no technical or economic justifications for extending the operational life of nuclear power plants, which are nearing the end of their useful life and whose energy cost is increasingly high, without valid arguments for electricity system stability or supply guarantee.
The municipalities in the PETNA I zone around the Ascó nuclear power plant received the ES-Alert message on Wednesday morning, sent from the State Emergency Monitoring and Coordination Center (CENEM) at the request of the Spanish government subdelegation in Tarragona. The message clearly indicated that it was a drill and no action was required.
