ABSTRACT
The genealogy of visitors’ access to nuclear power plants shows that touring has been a problematic issue, not only for safety and economic reasons but also because popular representations of nuclear energy have evolved, ranging from national pride and technological vanguard to atomic disaster and sensitive target for terrorist attacks. In France, the ‘nuclear tours’ date back to the 1970s, when the government officially launched its nuclear programme. The ‘nuclear sublime’ has often been associated with the atomic bomb and nuclear accident sites and, to a lesser extent, with civil nuclear energy. Electricite de France guides have close relations with the factory they work in; most of them are retired nuclear engineers or relatives of nuclear workers. From the point of view of the company, visits fulfil many purposes: they serve to consolidate the role of nuclear energy in public opinion, build the image of an open transparent company, reassure local residents and attract new recruits.
