Greenpeace takes action over Spanish nuclear panel

A Greenpeace statement said legislation provided for the Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee to be constituted by August 2008 in order to issue non-binding recommendations to the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) watchdog.

Some 20 people are due to sit on the committee, including representatives from central and local government, utilities, unions, environmental groups and technical experts.

"By stalling over the creation of the Advisory Committee, the industry minister and president of the CSN have in fact prevented environmental groups from getting relevant first-hand information on safety problems," Greenpeace spokesman Carlos Bravo said.

Greenpeace want more information over a CSN ruling in June, which favored allowing the aging Garona nuclear plant to run for another 10 years. The environmentalists say Garona had failed to implement some of the CSN's prior recommendations.

The government opted to renew Garona's operating permit for four years, which drew an appeal from the plant's operators, who want it to run until at least 2019.

Greenpeace also charge the watchdog with delays last year in taking action over a radioactive leak at the Asco I nuclear power station.

The government fined Asco I's operators 15.4 million euros ($23 million) in May for breaching safety rules.

Spain's eight nuclear plants provide about 20 percent of the country's electricity and the government has vowed to phase them out in favor of booming renewable energy sources.

Apart from Garona, however, the government has no plans to close any other nuclear plants in the near future. The remaining plants are not due to complete the 40-year lifespans they were designed for until 2020, at the earliest.

Nuclear power is unpopular in Spain and both major parties ruled out building new reactors in elections last year. The opposition Popular Party has since said it will keep Garona open past 2013 if it is returned to power. (Reporting by Martin Roberts; editing by Sue Thomas)