Myths attack nuclear power and renewable energy. The Ministry of Energy launches a campaign against false information
On Friday, the information campaign “Don't be fooled – check the facts about energy!”, prepared by the Ministry of Energy, was launched. The aim of the initiative is to increase awareness of harmful disinformation in the energy sector. The campaign is intended to raise awareness that false or manipulated information can influence political and social decisions and, consequently, Poland's energy security.
Disinformation in the energy sector affects Poland's energy security
— Today we see that disinformation is a real threat to the energy transformation in Poland – argues Miłosz Motyka.
– There are a lot of lies and fake news about nuclear energy and energy transformation – he emphasizes. As Motyka points out, this cannot be underestimated, which is why his ministry decided to prepare a “shield” to protect the Polish debate against disinformation campaigns. According to the Minister of Energy, disinformation is aimed at torpedoing the energy transformation and pitting Poles against each other.
As Wojciech Wrochna emphasizes, the subject of false reports is largely nuclear energy, which is very important from the point of view of Polish energy security. — In recent months, the investment process for the first nuclear power plant has accelerated significantly, we must protect this investment against false myths. We also want to talk about the costs of nuclear energy, which is why we need reliable information, says Wrochna. In the context of disinformation, he points to competition in the energy sector, as well as foreign partners who “do not want Poland to succeed in this area.” The flood of false information, as Wojciech Wrochna emphasizes, is intended to torpedo this investment.
The Ministry of Energy emphasizes that disinformation in the energy sector is a real threat that affects society, economy and energy security of Poland. He cites the opinions of experts who emphasize that the best tool for defending against disinformation is knowledge. — Reliable information, transparency of public activities and conscious communication allow society to make decisions based on facts, not emotions or manipulations – explains the ministry.
Nuclear energy is targeted by disinformers
For the purposes of the campaign, a special subpage dedicated to disinformation in the energy sector was created on the website of the Ministry of Energy, where popular but, as the ministry emphasizes, completely false information is refuted. Instead, facts proven by energy experts are presented. Energy myths will be shown and explained in traditional media and social media
Among the myths distributed in Poland against nuclear energy, the ministry points to nine false messages. The first of them argues that “a nuclear power plant emits harmful radiation into the environment.” Other myths include: “nuclear waste is dangerous and cannot be safely stored”, “a nuclear reactor can explode like a nuclear bomb”, “small modular reactors (SMRs) are an experiment – they are not ready for use”, “nuclear power plants are very expensive to build – the costs will never be recovered”, “constructing a nuclear power plant will make the area unattractive for inhabitants and tourists”, “nuclear power plants use huge amounts of water for cooling and their construction in the center of Poland is impossible”, “the whole world is moving away from nuclear power”, “nuclear power plants are an outdated technology”.
Minister of Energy Miłosz Motyka is launching a campaign against disinformation in the energy sector
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Adam Chelstowski/FORUM / Forum Polish Photographers Agency
The energy transformation is also a target of attacks using myths
The ministry also debunks 10 myths about the energy transformation. The first myth is “the transmission network will not withstand the transformation – it must be completely replaced before we implement anything.” Further false information about the transformation identified by the ministries is: “if someone talks about decarbonization, they want to take the jobs of miners”, “gas from Russia is still the main source of supplies to Poland”, “the state has no real influence on transmission network operators”, “PERN only deals with oil and is not important for energy security”, “The Polish gas network is not prepared for the growing demand”, “energy transformation means loss of energy security”, “Poland's energy infrastructure is an easy target for cyber attacks”, “energy transformation is an invention of the European Union that is not profitable for Poland”, “moving away from fossil fuels will destroy Polish industry”.
