ML20137Z993
| ML20137Z993 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/18/1996 |
| From: | Shirley Ann Jackson, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | NRC |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20137Z587 | List:
|
| References | |
| FOIA-96-493 NUDOCS 9704250172 | |
| Download: ML20137Z993 (3) | |
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/ UNITED STATES 'l I' a & NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 October 18, 1996 k ..... /
CHAIRMAN
/
MEMORANDUM TO: The File FROM: Shirley Ann Jackson [~ --
SUBJECT:
TRIP REPORT ON VISIT TO CANADA AND THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA l
SUMMARY
I On August 14-24, 1996, I travelled to Canada and the People's Republic of China to meet with senior government and industry officials and to visit several nuclear facilities. I was accompanied by Ms. Janice Dunn Lee, my Special Assistant for International Policy, and Mr. Regis Boyle, my Special Assistant for Nuclear Materials, Waste, and Fuel Cycle, for the entire trip. Mr. Carlton Stoiber, Director, Office of International Programs, OIP, and'Mr. William Upshaw, International Policy Officer, OIP, accompanied me during my visit to Canada.
Mr. James L. Milhoan, Deputy Executive Director for Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Regional Operations, and Research, and Mr. Kevin Burke, Senior International Policy Officer, OIP, ,
accompanied me during my visit to China. j My trip to Canada included meetings with Canada's nuclear regulatory body (Atomic Energy Control Board-AECB), their nuclear developmental organization (Atomic Energy of Canada Limited-AECL), and an electric utility, Ontario Hydro. In many ways, the Canadian commercial nuclear program is similar to the program in the U.S. Both cocntries have a relatively large domestic commercial nuclear power program, both countries see little new l growth in their domestic nuclear electrical generating capacity, and the nuclear steam supply system vendors from both countries are looking at foreign markets, particularly in southeast Asia, for future sales of commercial nuclear power facilities. And both countries are trying to improve their regulatory programs to protect pubilic health and safety.
While I was in Canada, I met with Dr. Agnes Bishop, Chairman of the AECB. We signed a renewal of the NRC/AECB Administrative Arrangement and spent a full day discussing common issues.
Considerable time was spent on discussing future plans for our respective agencies. Dr. Bishop described the AECB effort --
" Project '96 and Beyond" and I described NRC's strategic assessment and rebaselining project. Many of the issues that have been identified in these projects are common to both agencies.
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The AECB was interested in my views on the Agreement State l program in the U.S. because the Canadian Parliament is I considering a new law that would establish a similar program in '
the Canadian provinces. They were also interested in the I deregulation of the U.S. elecpric utility industry. Other issues, including burning Pu,/in CANDU reactors, high-level radioactiye waste disposal, international cooperation and activities, transportation, storage, and licensing fees were discussed during the course of our meetings.
While in Canada, I visited the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. This plant is a four-unit station (935 MWe per unit) that generates about 20 percent of Ontario Hydro's total electricity. In visiting the Darlington facility, I had the opportunity to observ_e_some of the challenges that the operators and regulators of CANDU reactors face such as their on-line refueling systems and tritium recovery.
1 I visited with AECL officials and toured their Sheridan Park Engineering Laboratory. Again, I heard about concerns that are similar to those that we are experiencing in the U.S.-- shrinking '
budgets, staff downsizing, and a heavy reliance on the foreign I market to keep the commercial nuclear industry viable. .
In China, I met with senior Chinese officials from the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), the Nuclear Safety Center, the Ministry of Public Health, and the China National Nuclear Corporation. While in China, I also toured the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station just south of Shanghai. My purpose was to affirm the continuity in the relationship with our counterpart agency (NNSA), while at the same time to broaden the engagement with otheragencieswithmutualinterests.[~'
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l China's civilian nuclear power program was in sharp contrast to the similarities that I observed between the Canadian and U.S.
programs. China expects electrical power demand to grow l enormously for the rest of this century and well into the 21st i i century. The current total electrical generating capacity in i China is about 210,000 MWe with nuclear power plants supplying '
only about 2,268 MWe, or 1.1 percenteof that total. I was told that by the year 2010, there will be 20,000 MWe of nuclear i
generating capacity in China and 40,p00 MWe by the year 2020.
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China's nuclear regulatory program is rather smail,' 6n the. order of 100-200 persons. With the rapid growth anticipated in
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civilian nuclear generating capacity in the coming decades, the Chinese regulatory agencies will have to quickly adapt to an expanded workload. In addition, I stressed to the Chinese officials that their rapidly expanding program will be even more complex to manage because by '2005, the Chinese expect to have 10,000 MWe of nuclear power jlants and the reactors will be designed in at least 4 different countries (Canada, France, Russia, and China) and represent at least three different reactor i
types (CANDU, PWR, and VVER reactors).
The Chinese acknowledged that regulating different types of reactor designs may be challenging, but they believed that an adequate regulatory program could be put in place by relying,in part, on the nuclear steam supply system vendor countries for regulatory assistance and by contracting with Chinese i
universities to provide some additional technical support, I also stressed the importance of their obtaining the design basis for their future nuclear plants. They should know how their plants are built.
The civilian nuclear program in China is in its early stages of development. As a result, its civilian nuclear regulatory program is also in its formative stages. The U.S. should cooperate with the Chinese to assure that they develop a nuclear regulatory program that will provide for the safe operation of their civilian reactors.
1 A detailed report and relevant documents are attached which summarize individual meetings that took place during this period.
cc: Commissioner Rogers Commissioner Dicus Commissioner Diaz Commissioner McGaffigan EDO OGC a
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