Director General, Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency, I would like to thank all of participants for their interest and efforts in making possible the second meeting for Nuclear Safety Strategy Dialogue of the Asian Nuclear Safety Network (ANSN). I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Vice-Minister Kim Jung-Hyun and his staff of the MEST for hosting this important meeting. It is rather fitting that this meeting is being held here in the Republic of Korea, which is, indeed, one of the great centres of nuclear power development. The Republic of Korea has demonstrated excellent nuclear safety performance, and the nuclear activities of Korea in the coming years, along with the nuclear activities in several other Asian countries, will help to define and shape the direction for overall global nuclear development, including new entrants to nuclear power.
This strategy meeting comes to us at an opportune time in the dynamically changing world. This opportunity will enable us to collectively reflect upon the global trends, issues and challenges faced by the nuclear community, and to identify forward-looking strategies for enhancing and enriching the ANSN for the benefit of its members and for strengthening the Global Nuclear Safety Regime. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss broad strategy, policy and future vision of the ANSN to promote regional cooperation in the establishment and enhancement of nuclear safety infrastructure and capacity building in Asia.
In my opening remarks, I will help to set the stage for the thinking and dialogue we will share during today′s programme.
Global Context for Strategy Dialogue
Let me begin with some perspectives on the global context. Today, there is much interest in new nuclear power programmes and the rapid expansion of existing programmes. Nearly 70 countries are considering or have expressed interest in developing nuclear power programmes. Many pundits refer to this renewed interest as a "nuclear renaissance." I, on the other hand, view this reality as a Vita Nova, or new life, because the nuclear community needs new insight and innovative thinking to address new challenges, rather than a simple revival of the "good old days." This perception of a Vita Nuova is particularly relevant for new entrant countries and in Asia where significant nuclear power development has continued for the last two decades.
Today′s nuclear business, activities and challenges are increasingly multinational and global in nature, and no longer confined to the borders of one country. To the contrary, a nuclear activity in one country is likely to transcend national borders to involve governments, non-governmental organizations, vendors and the public media from many countries. This fact will continue to present challenges for the international nuclear community to address, ranging from the limited supply of major reactor components and trans-border emergency response to managing cultural diversities. As an example, you may have read about the Finnish EPR construction experience and the challenges posed by multicultural and multilingual subcontractors and construction crews. Such multinational complexities in supply and impact chains require improved communication, enhanced cooperation and appropriate oversight by vendors, operators and regulators to ensure that product quality and organizational competence are maintained.
Strategic Areas for the ANSN
The opportunities and challenges of today have indeed strengthened the level of international cooperation towards the prevention of another serious accident or terrorist event and the coordination of international response should it occur. In this regard, I would like to share with you my perspectives on two important areas that I feel are particularly relevant for the nuclear safety strategy of the ANSN.
Support for Infrastructure Development and Capacity Building
The first strategic area is supporting infrastructure development and capacity building for new and expanding nuclear power programmes in Asia. As you well know, Asia is the region of world that is most actively embarking on or expanding nuclear power programmes. In addition to the operating nuclear power plants in Korea, China and Japan, there are many new nuclear power plants either planned or under construction. Moreover, five other ANSN member countries already have plans for introducing their first nuclear power plants. As such, the Asian region requires strong support and effective international cooperation to ensure that its nuclear safety infrastructure and capacity is sufficiently developed and sustained for protecting people and the environment in the long term.
Implementing a nuclear power programme is a complex process that requires timely preparation for developing the national infrastructure and capacity for nuclear safety. The time period from initial consideration of building a nuclear power plant to beginning commercial operation is estimated to be about 10 to 15 years in a well-managed project. Thus, for those countries planning to begin operation by 2020, now is time to start substantive and serious preparations. Furthermore, safe and secure operation can only be ensured if there is a comprehensive infrastructure in place that is properly maintained and improved throughout the life of the nuclear power programme, which can be up to 100 years or more. In this sense, the ANSN is a valuable platform for regional cooperation, knowledge sharing and learning for developing and sustaining infrastructure and capacity for nuclear safety in the long term.
Additionally, I want to note that some political and industrial leaders promoting nuclear power development worldwide may tend to underestimate the vital importance of safety. It is important that safety are understood to be enablers for nuclear power programmes, rather than burdens and hindrances. In this context, the ANSN is a powerful voice to communicate this message to not only the Asian region, but also the broader international nuclear community.
Effective Knowledge Management and Peer Review
The second strategic area is supporting effective management of nuclear safety knowledge. The Global Nuclear Safety Regime relies upon a strong Global Knowledge Network and Global Experts′ Community. As I look at the audience here today, I see an impressive gathering of Asian nuclear safety leaders and experts. Your combined leadership, knowledge, and experience is a powerful force for advancing nuclear safety in the region, and especially for meeting the challenges associated with the launching of new nuclear programmes and the expansion of existing programmes in Asia and other parts of the world.
Self assessment and peer reviews play an important role in knowledge management and sharing. Particularly important opportunities are through the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management, which oblige the Contracting Parties to submit their country reports for international peer review. Through experience, it is widely shared that self-assessment and peer review activities based on IAEA Safety Standards are valuable tools to learn by oneself and for each other to help ensure high levels of safety performance. In fact, these tools are becoming almost mandatory for European Union Member States, as noted in a newly proposed directive by the European Commission that references the IAEA Fundamental Safety Principles.
The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (or IRRS) and the Operational Safety Review Team (or OSART) are two of the best-known peer review services that the Agency provides for its Member States. These missions have been highly valued by the associated nuclear facility and the participating experts as mutual learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for continuous improvement. I encourage all countries to take advantage of the IRRS and OSART programmes to help sustain higher safety performance and a strong Global Nuclear Safety Regime. I am very pleased that after the IRRS in Japan in 2007, Viet Nam, China and the Republic of Korea have requested IRRS peer review missions that will be carried out starting in the autumn of 2009, with the support of the ANSN. I am confident that these missions will provide precious mutual learning opportunities for the participating countries both in Asia and worldwide.
Concluding Remarks
Since its inception in 2002, the ANSN has matured into an important human and knowledge network for nuclear safety in the Asian region. The ANSN has also recently expanded to become a forum for broader safety strategy among countries in the region. Tens of thousands of nuclear safety experts exchange their knowledge and mutually learn through the ANSN, which is continuing to grow and improve. I hope that our dialogue today helps to shape the broad strategy, policy and future vision of the ANSN to promote regional cooperation in the establishment and enhancement of nuclear safety infrastructure and capacity building in Asia in order to better meet the enormous challenges for nuclear power plant development in the region.
Let me conclude my remarks with four key messages. First, nuclear power programmes are lifetime commitments of up to 100 years or more. Second, operators, users and national governments share the prime responsibility for nuclear safety, and that responsibility cannot be outsourced nor compromised. Third, it is essential that countries with or seeking nuclear programmes actively participate in the Global Nuclear Safety Regime, through international conventions and peer reviews. And fourth, there exists a wealth of international knowledge and experience that can be widely shared and learned in the global nuclear community, such as what is achieved through knowledge networks like the ANSN.
I thank you for your attention.