NRC Releases Report for the Convention on Nuclear Safety
On Oct. 4, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced the issue of its "Fourth National Report for the Convention on Nuclear Safety." According to officials, the updated report demonstrates how the U.S. government achieves and maintains a high level of nuclear safety worldwide by enhancing national measures and international cooperation, and by meeting the obligations of all the articles established by the convention.
This report addresses the issues identified in the peer-review of the third review meeting, discusses challenges and issues that have arisen since the third review meeting, discusses managing human capital, a major NRC focus area, and also discusses the NRC's preparations for licensing new reactors. In addition, for the first time, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations has provided input to the report explaining how the nuclear industry maintains and improves nuclear safety.
The 2007 report, which updates a 2004 report, will be peer reviewed by parties to the convention. Every three years the countries participating in the convention must submit reports on their programs for peer review as an incentive to achieve the highest possible levels of safety. The Fourth National Report Review Meeting will be held in Vienna, Austria, in April 2008.
The report will be available through NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html, using accession number ML07260091. For help in using ADAMS, call the NRC Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737. Copies of the report (NUREG-1650, Rev. 2) will also be available at the NRC?s Public Electronic Reading Room (http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs) and at the NRC Public Document Room in Rockville, Md.
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2007 issue of Environmental Protection.