Europe energy chiefs urge public to trust nuclear

By Jane Barrett

MADRID (Reuters) - European energy executives urged governments on Monday to work on the attitudes of their citizens so they can reopen the door to nuclear as a carbon-free source of power for the continent over coming decades.

As the European Union tries to cut emissions of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and improve the security of its power supply, nuclear is coming back as an option, despite public fears arising from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

"We're facing a nuclear renaissance," said Anne Lauvergeon, chief executive of French nuclear energy firm Areva.

"Nuclear's not the devil any more. The devil is coal," she told an energy conference in Madrid.

"The problem is people see it (the choice) as coal or renewable energy and they are still keeping nuclear behind the curtain."

Since the Chernobyl explosion, the world's worst nuclear accident, many people have held nuclear power on a sin list and many countries have shut atomic plants or are phasing them out.

Nonetheless, France generates three quarters of its energy from nuclear sources and Britain is considering building new plants, so executives said other countries just needed to educate people about nuclear safety and technological advances.

"We shouldn't rule out any source of energy but nuclear is almost a religious issue in Germany. Public opinion has to be changed before it can enjoy any revival," E.ON CEO Wulf Bernotat said.