NE A

FORUM ONSTAKEHOLDERCONFIDENCE

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
on stakeholder engagement practices
Beyond the tragic loss of human lives, COVID-19 caused a series of major changes in society, including in the way people
communicate and engage with each other. In the nuclear sector, while operations continued, many organisations foundthemselves forced to abruptly rethink their ways of working due to restrictions affecting meetings and travel. The nuclear
industry and the radioactive waste management field had to adapt to these new circumstances. The stakes were high dueto the nature of the activities in this safety-focused sector.
The impact on communication and stakeholder engagement activities was particularly strong due to restrictions on theability to hold both large public meetings and smaller in-person discussions to foster mutual trust and confidence. In someinstances, nothing can replace in-person dialogue, especially where building trust is concerned. Some waste management
organisations (WMOs), regulators and technical safety organisations (TSOs) found themselves facing the dilemma of
suspending their stakeholder engagement activities, thereby jeopardising decision-making processes with establishedmilestones, or carrying on with them using teleconferencing.
In most cases the second option was chosen, requiring changes but allowing the organisations to move forward with theirwork and stay in contact with all stakeholders. The changes which had to be made have had significant impacts in terms of
milestones, internal resources, external stakeholders and relationships overall. The impacts were positive in some cases,
negative in others.
Due to the magnitude and potentially long-lasting effect of these changes, the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Forum on
Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) decided to investigate them and to reflect on lessons learnt, what changes will endure andwhat will likely return to the way it was before. To do so, a questionnaire was drafted and circulated to the FSC members.
The results are presented in this document.

The questionnaire
The NEA and the National Waste Management Organization(NWMO, Canada) prepared a questionnaire composed often questions and an open section to provide additional input,
and sent it to FSC members in October 2022. The questions
were as follows:
1. Preliminary question: a little bit about your national context.
2. What tools and practices for communication and engagement
did you begin to use for the first time or expand use of during
the pandemic?
3. Which of these tools/practices did you find the mostsuccessful? Why?
4. Which of these tools/practices did you find the least
successful? Why?
5. Were there tools/practices that you used less than before thepandemic started? What was the impact?
6. Did you note differences in the ways different audiences ordemographics responded to tools and practices during the
pandemic?

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Participating countries• Belgium• Hungary• Norway• Canada• Italy• Spain• France• Japan• Switzerland

7. What tools/practices do you intend to keep using more thanyou used before the pandemic? Why?
8. What tools/practices do you intend to use less when
pandemic restrictions are not in place? Why?
9. What challenges did your communication and engagement
teams face during the pandemic with respect to collaboratinginternally within your organisation?
10. Were there tools or practices your organisations found usefulfor collaborating and sharing information internally?
11. Anything to add?

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The first question aimed at providing context to understand thelevel of activity that the different organisations were facing when
the pandemic started in 2020. Questions 2 to 8 allowed them todetail the different tools and practices that have been used in thecontext of the pandemic, highlighting any positive and negative
aspects that could be analysed. Questions 9 and 10 looked at
how audiences responded to the tools and practices used, andwhich of those organisations intend to keep using them.
Fourteen organisations from nine countries responded to thequestionnaire: Belgium: ONDRAF/NIRAS (National Agency
for Radioactive Waste and enriched Fissile Material – WMO);
Canada: NWMO (WMO), AECL (Atomic Energy of Canada
Ltd – TSO), OPG (Ontario Power Generation – utility); France:
Andra (National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management –WMO), IRSN (Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety Institute– TSO); Hungary: PURAM (Public Limited Company forRadioactive Waste – WMO); Italy: SOGIN (state- owned
enterprise responsible for decommissioning Italian nuclear power
plants – WMO); Japan: NUMO (Nuclear Waste Management
Organization – WMO); Norway: DSA (Norwegian Radiation
Protection Authority – Regulator); NND (Norwegian Nuclear
Decommissioning – WMO); Spain: Enresa (Spanish Radioactive
Waste Management Organisation – WMO); Switzerland:
NAGRA (National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive
Waste – Project’s Implementer), SFOE (Swiss Federal Office of
Nuclear Energy – Federal Government).

Context of participating countries (at the
beginning of the pandemic)
Country

Intensity of stakeholder engagement activities

Belgium

High activity level

CanadaHigh activity level

FranceHigh activity level

Hungary

Low activity level

Italy

High activity level

Japan

High activity level

NorwayAverage activity level

Spain

Average activity level

Switzerland

High activity level

Countries with a high degree of ongoing activities
In Belgium, the licensing process for the near-surface repository
was ongoing, together with a reshaping of the partnerships, while
the public consultation for a deep geological repository (DGR) wasscheduled for April 2020. In Canada, the different organisations
were engaged in several processes when the pandemic arose,
including the recent identification of two potential sites for the
DGR. They were also involved in a proposal that was in thelicensing phase to create a facility for low-level waste (LLW) at
an existing nuclear laboratories site, and in dialogue with otherlocal communities about alternate solutions for disposal of lowand intermediate-level waste (LILW). In Italy, the green lightfor the publication of the map of potentially suitable areas for anational repository was issued at the end of 2020 and a public
consultation and a national workshop took place throughout 2021.
Japan had begun an intensive nationwide dialogue towards thesiting of a DGR, hosting more than 150 public meetings, initiating
a literature review with two communities involved in the process
and organising a wide range of public engagement activities
that began in 2020. In Switzerland, the third and final stage forthe DGR site selection had begun at the end of 2018. Regional
participation and information exchanges with the public continued
during the pandemic with the arrangement of online and/or
hybrid meetings. Where possible, in-person meetings were held
according to COVID-19 restrictions. In France, activities related
to the DGR consultation and dialogue roadmap were organised
as well as a public consultation on the possible extension of thestorage capacity for very low-level waste (VLLW) disposal. In
practice, that meant that meetings and discussions with both
local and national stakeholders where organised by Andra as wellas IRSN on a regular basis.

Countries with a low/average degree of ongoing
activities
In Hungary, the siting programme for the DGR continued withthe completion of three additional boreholes. In Norway, several
types of activities were considered, including public meetings,
but only some of them were implemented. Spain was expected
to update its General Radioactive Waste Plan (GRWP) and
Enresa worked on the application for the transfer of ownershipand authorisation for the first phase of the dismantling of Santa
María de Garoña Nuclear Power Plant. These milestones required
intense interactions with the media and consultations withadministrations and interested individuals.

Decision-making processes for nuclear waste projects wereat different stages in the participating countries when the
pandemic started. In some cases, important steps in siting
programmes were ongoing or expected in the short term, whilein others no immediate milestone was approaching. As a result,some programmes required a significant level of stakeholder
involvement while others demanded less engagement. The
survey captured the different levels of engagement required aswell as initiatives conducted in each country.

Main findings
New ideas
Participating countries were asked to explain which tools andpractices they began to use for the first time or expanded useof during the pandemic. The practice of “going virtual” is, as
expected, common among almost all countries.

Level of stakeholder involvement activities

6

High

2

Average
Low

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1

Six of the nine participating countries (Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Japan,
Switzerland) described a high level of activity during the pandemic from thepoint of view of the development of radioactive waste management programmes.
Two countries (Norway, Spain) declared a medium level of activity, as they werepreparing activities to carry out, while one country (Hungary) indicated a low levelof activity compared to other periods.

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In Belgium and in Italy, teleconferences were used forworkshops and educational activities. In Canada, the NWMO
adopted teleconference meetings and open houses to replacein-person events. France created “virtual site visits” to maintaina connection with the local public, which could no longer
be welcomed at the facilities. Hungary had to increase theavailability of written documents to foster participation, while
Japan arranged online lectures to raise awareness about
the need for a DGR. In Switzerland, where intense public
involvement activities were required, SFOE and the regional
conferences began arranging online and hybrid meetings as soon
as possible. In Spain, an escape room at El Cabril was turned
into a “virtual escape box” (see box for details).

Belgium noted that the impossibility to hold in-person meetingsand be present in the communities made it difficult to engage
with new stakeholders, as opposed to people who were alreadyinvolved in discussions with the WMO.
Several countries also noted that the amount of news dedicatedto the evolving pandemic reduced the time left to talk about
topics like radioactive waste and available solutions, hence
limiting the ability to reach key audiences in this way.

Number of positive and negative practicalaspects reported in the questionnaires regarding
teleconference meetings

Positive aspects
Many countries emphasised the positive aspects of teleconference
meetings, mostly because connecting with people can be mucheasier. For example, no meeting venues or travel were needed toallow people to meet.
Belgium underlined the fact that teleconferencing enabled amore precise and intense schedule, avoiding delays related totravel. Hungary, Italy and Spain noted that the need to collect
written contributions increased the overall amount of informationexchanged. Japan and France said that some teleconferencing
platforms offered the opportunity to easily split the discussion
into small groups. Norway said that meetings designed mostly
to send out information, and where interaction was not a key
component, worked well. It also seemed that barriers to attend
meetings were lower when participants could join from home.
Switzerland noted that the switch from in-person meetings tohybrid or online discussions worked well, but only because of theadvanced stage of the process there. The relevant stakeholders
on a local, regional and national level had already establishedworking relationships when the pandemic started.

Negative aspects
Respondents to the questionnaire widely acknowledged thatlosing the opportunity to meet stakeholders in person caused apotential loss in terms of mutual confidence. Most reported thatthe feeling of trust and the opportunities to foster dialogue were
not the same during the pandemic as in previous years.
In Japan, participation to public meetings decreased andsome of them had to be cancelled as a result. Hungary also
noted that people often found it difficult to focus during online
presentations, pointing out that “they were ‘online’ but the mind
was somewhere else.”
In Italy, with higher numbers of stakeholders involved,
feedback on a national workshop noted that the allotted time forpresentations was not sufficient.

General sentiment about teleconference meetings

6

Balanced

2

Positive
Negative

1

Most countries reported a balanced sentiment regarding
teleconference meetings. Hungary is the only one describinga mostly negative sentiment on teleconference meetings,
while Canada and Italy expressed positive views.

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15 Negative

20 Positive

Audiences
Many countries noted that virtual public meetings have created a
divide between older and younger people, with the latter usuallymore comfortable using online technologies.
Among these countries we find Belgium and Switzerland,
where partnerships’ members are often older people. Hungary
noted as well that many of the stakeholders they were interactingwith were older people who were not familiar with the Internet
and more accustomed to printed material. Switzerland noted thatolder people experienced difficulties at the beginning but caught
up over time. In Hungary and Canada, some remote communities
including First Nations have unreliable Internet access. This issue
was in some circumstances addressed by providing better tools
to access the Internet, creating an opportunity from a difficult
situation. A similar benefit was underlined by Norway, which
noted an increase in the number of employees able to use tools
for information sharing.
France noted that teleconference meetings made it possible toattract participants that were usually underrepresented (or notpresent at all) in in-person public meetings, such as younger
people and people with child care issues.

Permanent changes
This topic is one of the main focuses of the survey, which was
conducted at a time when many organisations were experiencing
fewer pandemic restrictions and a return to “normality” wasbeginning.
Belgium and Canada said online meetings were best used toshare information rather than to make decisions, noting again that
this may be very helpful when meeting over long distances. In
Hungary, online competitions organised among students during
the pandemic turned out to be a permanent innovation. In Japanand in Spain, online lectures and workshops will continue, as
they proved to be very effective.
Norway, Switzerland and France noted they are pursuing
opportunities to find a good balance by continuing to adopt
hybrid or fully remote meetings when appropriate. France notedthat hybrid meetings made it possible to broaden the meetings’
audience as non-governmental organisations in particular do notalways have the time and funds to travel to Paris, where mostmeetings are taking place. Therefore, keeping a virtual option
open allows for a more diverse participation.

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Switzerland noted that the use of such meetings has decreased
over time. Hybrid meetings hardly take place anymore (as of early2023), but some meetings are still organised online.
Another big change that is expected to be permanent is theopportunity for employees to work from home, which in countries
like Italy was not common before the pandemic.

Non-permanent changes
Many countries like Italy, Hungary, Japan, Spain and Switzerland
underlined the necessity of resuming site visits and public
meetings in person, especially for building and maintaining trust
among stakeholders and for facilitating shared decision-making.
Some countries, like Belgium, also noted they are going to arrange
fewer online workshops.

Internal challenges
The need to quickly improve virtual communication tools andpractices during the pandemic was widely acknowledged, withsome exceptions, like Canada’s AECL, where employees werealready well set up to work remotely.
In Belgium, an information technology (IT) team was created tohelp a lot of people deal with the new working context. In Japan,
an IT specialist organised within a few weeks access to tools

allowing all employees to work from home. Spain also noted theimportance of the work of IT specialists in supporting remote
access. In France, the necessity of working remotely became
an opportunity as it helped gather communication teams fromdifferent sites. In countries like Italy, restrictions in accessing theheadquarters created issues.
In Switzerland, there was a lack of access to video conferencing
software and hardware and the use of both was not common for
most stakeholders involved. The result was a phase of adaption
and small delays in the intermediate steps, but no overall delay,of the site selection procedure.

Tools and practices
Most countries highlighted the importance of different online
platforms for teleconference meetings, describing in somecircumstances the pros and cons of each.
Some countries, like Canada, mentioned a need to help staff
in dealing with the difficulties brought on by the pandemic that
was addressed in part through adding various forms of fun social
activities in the everyday usage of professional tools. Spain
included the children of staff in solidarity activities to strengthen
the human aspects of working life. Multiple opportunities forsharing helped significantly, but France underlined also the riskof over solicitation.

Canada: “Virtual home visits” from NWMOIn Canada, the NWMO adopted a new approach during the prolonged pandemic lockdowns to replace some of the engagement
and relationship building that had been underway with residents of a potential host community for a deep geological repository
for used nuclear fuel. An important part of the organisation’s engagement programme is spending time with individuals in
potential host communities to share information and answer questions about the project. When pandemic restrictions madethat impossible, the NWMO team began to offer “virtual home visits” in the community. They scheduled times with individual
families who were interested in learning about the project to have informal conversations while sharing a meal together. Since
they couldn’t meet in person, they ordered dinner to be delivered to the family in time for their meeting, and then had thediscussion online using teleconference platforms while they all enjoyed their meal together.

France: Live interactive webinars organised by Andra
Before the pandemic, regular meetings and debates had been organised for the public. A Facebook live event had been held
once but it was not customary to organise live exchanges on the Internet.
In the spring of 2020 a first web conference was held entitled: “Should we be afraid to live next to a radioactive waste disposal
facility?” where any Internet user could connect and ask questions live. Many other webinars were then organised during the
pandemic, including one live from the underground laboratory galleries.
Since then, numerous consultation meetings regarding the DGR project consultation roadmap have been held online and they
continue today. The crisis of the pandemic has been a driving force for innovation.
Andra’s employees as well were invited to film themselves with their smartphones and react to the question “How does it feelto be confined like radioactive waste?” Their answers were posted on Andra’s social media. It was a way of putting into words
what affected them all and of showing that they were still linked to a collective and common mission.

Spain: A virtual escape box set up by Enresa
In the years preceding the pandemic, the communications department of Enresa in El Cabril conceived an escape box addressed
to teenagers (mainly high school students), where they needed to join forces to resolve in a fixed amount of time different
problems and questions related to radioactivity and radioactive waste. The purpose was to engage younger stakeholders andinform them of matters related to radioactivity and radioactive waste management. The game was conceived as a variation ofan “escape room” in which the participants were given a box they had to open. The game was very positively assessed by thestudents. At that time, escape rooms were very popular in Spain, especially for those between the ages of 12 and 18.
When the pandemic began, in-person meetings could not be held. The decision was made to convert the escape boxes into virtual
escape boxes. It worked as an online appointment, making use of Skype. Connection details were provided to the students. The
gaming paraphernalia (printed cards with questions, etc.) was adapted and provided to the participants in advance. Participants
were guided online by a contractor through a series of problem-resolution exercises focusing on radioactivity and waste. This wasconsidered a good solution to continue this activity. The feedback received from users was very positive.
The games have since fully returned to their original in-person format, now under the name “Explora El Cabril”, and conceived
as a quiz show with maps and measuring instruments.

For more information, please contact the NEA Division of Radiological Protection and Human Aspects of Nuclear Safety:
Page 4© OECD 2023
Ludivine GILLI, Social Scientist: Ludivine.GILLI@oecd-nea.org; nea@oecd-nea.org