A New NEA Report Investigates Caapabilities And Facilities
For Nuclear Safety Research In OECD Countries
A new report, released today
(*) by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), investigates the nuclear
safety research capabilities and facilities required to satisfy current
and future needs previously identified by its Committee on the Safety
of Nuclear Installations (CSNI), as part of the expertise necessary to
sustain future nuclear power development. The new report examines the
availability of research facilities in the future, especially those which
are large and costly, the possible need for new facilities, the areas
of expertise where problems can be expected due to the disbanding of experienced
research teams or capabilities, and the potential role of international
organisations, particularly the OECD, in encouraging and facilitating
international collaboration.
Already in the period 1992-95, the
NEA had expressed concern that dwindling budgets and support as well as
stagnant nuclear programmes may lead to the untimely shutdown of large
research facilities and the breaking up of experienced research and analytical
teams, with the consequent loss of competence and reduced capability to
deal quickly and efficiently with future safety problems.
In general terms, technical programmes
and facilities exist, or are planned, which will meet the majority of
the current safety research needs identified in previous studies carried
out by the NEA (**), although in most areas some additional effort appears
to be justified. For the longer term, the CSNI concludes that analytical
capability (including computer code improvement and validation) needs
to be maintained in all areas and that experimental facilities are needed
to underpin analytical models, prove new design features, and support
accident management decisions or assess the risk of early reactor containment
failure. Facilities suitable for large-scale, prototypic testing should
be retained in a few areas.
The new report sets out in detail the
recommendations developed by the CSNI concerning general strategies that
could be utilised by OECD Member countries to maintain nuclear safety
research capabilities and select facilities.
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(*) "NUCLEAR SAFETY RESEARCH IN OECD COUNTRIES:
Capabilities and Facilities"
OECD, Paris 1997, 103 pages
FF 140 - US$ 28 - DM 40 - £ 18 - ¥ 2950
ISBN 92-64-15509-0 Available from the OECD Publications Distributors
(**) "NUCLEAR SAFETY RESEARCH IN OECD COUNTRIES:
Areas of Agreement, Areas for Further Action, Increasing Need for Collaboration"
OECD, Paris 1996, 90 pages
FF 100 - US$ 20 - DM 29 - £ 13 - ¥ 2100
ISBN 92-64-15336-5 Available from the OECD Publications Distributors
