Spokesman for Polish Nuclear Energy

Hanna Trojanowska, commissioner for nuclear energy, is looking for a pop culture character to promote nuclear power plants in the country.

Next year, the Polish government is planning to start a propaganda campaign to convince Poles that the country needs nuclear energy and that nuclear plants are not as dangerous as most citizens believe.

The idea is to create a character similar to Homer Simpson, the hero of the popular American cartoon, The Simpsons, who is a safety inspector at a nuclear power plant in Springfield. Also hoping for a TV series the government plans to spend 10 million złoty annually on the promotional campaign, which will last four years.

According to a survey conducted last year by the national Atomic Energy Agency, 47 percent of Poles support the development of nuclear energy in Poland and 38 percent are against it. However, as many as 47 percent of Poles would not like to have an energy plant in their vicinity.

There was no question put to the respondents about the level of credibility Homer has with the populous. Chernobyl, notwithstanding.