Nuclear news agency returns to roots and welcomes new president
NucNet has celebrated its 35th anniversary in Baden, Switzerland, with a special event organised with industry group Swissnuclear.
NucNet’s board of directors gathered with guests for the event in the town of Baden, near Zurich. NucNet was founded in Switzerland in 1990. Its first news articles were sent daily to subscribers by fax.
NucNet was founded following the Three Mile Island (1979) and Chernobyl (1986) incidents, which both exposed gaps in the need for timely, credible information about the commercial nuclear power industry, nuclear reactors, and how they operate.
“Industry communicators needed a fast, reliable, cross-border news channel,” said NucNet secretary-general Kamen Kraev. “Rumours and misinformation eroded public trust and hampered the industry’s response to those incidents.
“NucNet’s vision and mission then was the same as today – to deliver dependable, verified facts on all nuclear matters and to strengthen public confidence through consistent, unbiased reporting.”
The European Nuclear Society (ENS) – at the time based in Bern, Switzerland – set up an information commission in 1988 tasked with finding a practical way of establishing a nuclear news agency.
A working group, which included representatives from ENS, EDF, Siemens and Iberdrola, drafted the operating model and the ENS secretariat in Bern provided staff, financing, and technology for the launch, in 1990.
NucNet has since moved to Brussels, at the heart of the European nuclear energy industry and has grown to be a leading source of specialised news for the nuclear sector.
The event in Baden was attended by nuclear energy industry representatives from Switzerland and beyond, including ENS secretary-general Kirsten Epskamp and Emmanuel Brutin, director-general of nucleareurope.
In his keynote speech, Swissnuclear managing director Roger Lundmark highlighted the long relationship between NucNet and Switzerland, and emphasised the importance of an independent source of verified news for the nuclear industry.
Mr Kraev said in his speech that in today’s climate, with nuclear power a major news issue, NucNet is more vital than ever as a reliable source of information.
José Gago, chair of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), gave a video speech which he highlighted the special relationship between WANO and NucNet, dating back to 1990.
In his welcome keynote, Leon Cizelj, NucNet’s newly elected president, said the nuclear industry has reached a crucial period and needs the support of a transparent news network.
Mr Cizelj, who is also director of Slovenia’s Jožef Stefan research institute and former ENS president, succeeds Andre Versteegh as NucNet president. Mr Versteegh, a former director of the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) in the Netherlands, is retiring after 16 years at the helm.
“On behalf of everyone associated with NucNet, I want to thank Andre for the work he has done,” said Mr Kraev. “His leadership has seen NucNet prosper through some uncertain times for the industry, and with nuclear now firmly back on the agenda, we are in a position to look forward to many more years of success.”
The day after the event attendees visited three key nuclear facilities: the Zwilag interim storage facility, the Paul Scherrer Institute and the Beznau Nuclear Power Station.
Leon Cizelj, who is succeeding Andre Versteegh as NucNet president. Courtesy Swissnuclear.
NucNet secretary-general Kamen Kraev speaks to attendees at the anniversary event in Baden, Switzerland. Courtesy Swissnuclear.
