Generators accused of putting profit before safety

Graham Keeley
The Guardian,
Friday August 29 2008

Iberdrola and Endesa, two of Spain's leading electricity companies, have been accused of cutting costs at nuclear power stations at the expense of safety.
The Catalan regional government said that failure to invest had caused several incidents at two nuclear stations including a leak which led to thousands of people having to undergo radiation tests.
The accusations came as Spain's socialist government vowed to gradually close down the country's six nuclear plants and get electricity from renewable sources.
Prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has said his government will not build any more nuclear plants, which currently account for 20% of the country's electricity needs. Spain hopes wind and solar power will make it into a leading producer of electricity from renewable sources. But soaring oil prices have put the government under pressure to review its anti-nuclear policy.
In November, a radioactive leak occurred at the Asco 1 plant, but the owners did not tell the CSN, Spain's nuclear watchdog, until April. More than 2,000 people had to undergo radiation tests. Out of 47 reported incidents from Spain's six nuclear power stations, 25 occurred at Catalonia's three power plants. Xabier Sabater, a spokesman for the Catalan government, said on the local radio: "The problem behind the incidents is a lack of investments. Iberdrola and Endesa are spending less on maintenance and security."
He said the deterioration began in 2002 when both companies started to sub-contract work to reduce costs.