ML20138F105
| ML20138F105 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/01/1996 |
| From: | Shirley Ann Jackson, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Dicus G, Rogers K NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20137Z587 | List:
|
| References | |
| FOIA-96-493 NUDOCS 9608070212 | |
| Download: ML20138F105 (5) | |
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'% C #g August 1, 1996 CHAIRMAN MEMORANDUM T0: Commissioner Rogers Commissioner Dicus FROM: Shirley Ann Jackson jM 4
SUBJECT:
REPORT ON GCC-VII MEETINGS The sixth meeting of the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission (GCC-VII) was held July 15-16, 1996 in Moscow. I attended meetings associated with the Committee on Nuclear Power, including a pre-meeting between the GCC Co-Chairs and Vice President Gore on July 10 in Washington; a private meeting with Secretary O' Leary and Minister Mikhailov, and the subsequent negotiating session with our Russian counterparts in the Committee on Nuclear Power on July 15; the Committee on Nuclear Power's report to the Vice President and Prime Minister Chernomyrdin, and the wrap-up signing on July 16. The Reports of the Co-Chairs of the Energy Policy Committee are at Attachments 1 (fuel and energy) and 2 (nuclear power). Although a date was not set, both governments favored holding an eighth GCC in about six months.
The theme of GCC-VII was to highlight the successes achieved over the four years of Commission activity. In the nuclear energy area the highlights include identifying funding for the second and third phases of the plutonium production reactors' core conversion; Russian commitment to perform full ,
safety assessments at two more (as yet unspecified) nuclear power plants; and l Russian agreement to provide design information on Soviet reactors to third countries. Unfortunately, the Russian Federation was not able to produce the necessary diplomatic note enabling the signing of the umbrella Peaceful Uses I of Atomic Energy Agreement (PUAE), nor the three associated Memoranda of l Cooperation (MOCs) in the areas of civilian nuclear reactor safety, enviror cental restoration and waste management, and magnetic confinement fusion The diplomatic note is expected in Washington shortly, and details ;
for r e,ning the PUAE and MOCs will be worked out before the September Inter;.ational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference.
As in previous GCC meetings held in Washington, and contrary to Russian Government assurances at the highest levels, the chairman of our counterpart regulatory agency GOSATOMNADZOR, the Federal Nuclear and Radiation Safety Authority (GAN) was absent. (At the time he was attending the G-24 Plenary Working Group in Brussels. GAN was represented by Mr. Gutsalov, First Deputy Chairman.) At both the Committee on Nuclear Power meeting, and in a private meeting on July 16 at GAN with Mr. Gutsalov and Mr. Dmitriev, Deputy Chairman, I underscored NRC's disappointment at this, particularly in ligh' cf the successful and mutually beneficial relationship which has developed between NRC and GAN, and the pressing need to work even more closely together now that the funding for the core conversion project is ensured.
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2 Due to budget restrictions at the Department of Energy, 00E and D00 reached agreement to use Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction funds for the second and third phases of the core conversion project. However, the two agencies are still negotiating project management responsibilities. Consistent with l concerns NRC voiced at GCC-VI that safety remain at the heart of the project l and that Russia commit to performing an objective and rigorous safety i assessment, D00 informed MINATOM that the project will move forward contingent upon (a) design review, (b) testing, and (c) a satisfactory safety assessment.
In support of these goals, NRC will continue to review with GAN the kinds of support they will need to participate actively in the project. Consistent wite our regulatory support, NRC plans to develop a scope of work and request funding from D00 to assist GAN. NRC also plans to participate in the ongoing U.S.-Russia meetings which are defining scopes of work for all U.S. and Russian organizations to avoid duplication and ensure regulatory conformance. ,
A design review will be specified in early September 1996, with meetings held thereafter at two month intervals.
In the area of materials protection, control and accounting (MPC&A), DOE and MINATOM signed a joint statement extending MPC&A cooperation to four new facilities, and a joint statement committing to a project ensuring the secure transportation of nuclear material and developing recommendations for further security enhancements (Attachments 3 and 4). A joint statement on including Russian naval facilities in the MPC&A cooperative program will be signed in the next two weeks. I noted NRC's longstanding and successful program of MPC&A cooperation with GAN, and our specific upcoming request for detailed information on GAN's plans in regulation and guidance development, in developing and implementing licensing and inspection programs, and the development of a national MPC&A regulatory program in Russia.
In light of Russia's continuing interest in studying various options for using stockpiled Russian plutonium as fuel in fast (both gas and sodium-cooled) and thermal reactors, the U.S. agreed to form a small working group to study the issue, but it is unlikely to fund work in this area. When Minister Mikhailov pressed Secretary O' Leary on the issue, she noted that an application for a Part 810 export license had been received from General Atomics and DOE was seeking interagency concurrerce.
In conjunction with the need for Russia to comply with commitments under loan conditions under its project agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)/ Nuclear Safety Assembly (NSA), as well as to enhance their stature as a credible nuclear power vendor, I stressed the need for full safety assessments at Russian plants. MINATOM and GAN subsequently agreed to conduct two additional DOE-funded plant specific safety assessments (three are already being conducted at Leningrad, Kola and Novovoronezh). NRC plans to work with DOE, MINATOM and GAN to identify the plants. Concurrently, Russia has agreed to share design information on Soviet-era reactors with third parties without seeking payment, as had been the case until now. Finally, Minister Mikhailov proposed that a U.S.-Russia Nuclear Commission be formed to address the gamut of nuclear issues, including
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i l-possible joint ventures. I' firmly stated that Russia needed to make the Russian nuclear prngram safer and more credible technically, economically, and
! socially (e.g., to do design certification reviews, etc.) before commitments l could be made on enhanced nuclear cooperation and' joint ventures.
4 Attachments:
j.' 1. Rpts of the Co-Chairs of the Energy Policy Committeei Fuel and Energy j 2. Rpt of the Committee on Nuclear Power 3.
! DOE-MINATOM Joint Statement on '
Control, Accounting, and Physical l Protection of Nuclear Materials
- 4. DOE-MINATOM Joint Statement on Nuclear Material Protection, Control and )
j Accounting During Transportation cc: SECY OGC E00
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SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COMMITTEE TALKING POINTS GORE-MBEKI BINATIONAL COMMISSION CIIAIRMAN SHIRLEY A. JACKSON ,
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ;
JULY 19,1996 e I am pleased to participate on behalf of the Nuclear Regulatery Commission (NRC) at 1 this second meeting of the Sustainable Energy Committee of the Dinational Commission. )
i e In support of the U.S. Government's nonproliferation goals we believe that, with the cooperation of the Republic of South Africa we can develop nuclear safety and nuclear nonproliferation policies which are mutually reinforcing, and which separate nuclear power from nuclear weapons proliferation.
e The NRC supports the Gore-Mbeki Binational Commission objectives by
-- strengthening key South African institutions responsible for the protection of health and safety of people in the use of nuclear energy; and
-- helping to ensure adequate energy supply and enhancing public confidence in the uses of nuclear power.
1 e In 1994 the NRC and its counterpart regulator in South Africa, the Council for Nuclear l Safety (CNS) signed a regulatory information exchange arrangement. This began a nuclear safety dialogue with South Africa and an introduction to the methods, institutions end approaches the U.S. uses to ensure the safety of nuclear power programs and other applications of nuclear energy, e I will travel to South Africa in September 1996 to carry out discussions with officials on nuclear safety, and to visit nuclear faci'ities.
e At the same time NRC staff will meet with CNS officials in Pretoria to give greater specificity to our exchange arrangement. NRC expects to accept a few persons from the CNS for training at our Technical Training Center in the areas of plant aging and uranium mill tailings, which training will be without charge. NRC will seek appropriate funding through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S.
Infonnation Service-South Africa (USIS) for these activities.
e I am pleased to note that the CNS has joined the NRC sponsored Code Applications and .
Maintenance Program. More than 15 countries pAicipate in this collaborative effort to refine power reactor thermal / hydraulic computer coes.
- I understand that at the first meeting of the Sustainable Energy Committee in December
, 1995 a proposal to develop an enhanced nuclear safety relationship was well received.
As a first step in this process Department of Energy (DOE) invited the CNS to join the l Annealing Demonstration Programs.
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- The Sustainable Energy Committee also committed to assisting South Africa in developing and reviewing new nuclear safety and nuclear waste legislation. If requested, the NRC is able to provide some (limited) assistance in this effort.
- Concurrently, NRC could participate through the USIS-funded training of South African Parliament Energy Committee staff, in discussions of how the NRC interacts with its Congressional oversight committees, with an emphasis on creating the legal framework for an independent regulator which has adequate resources to carry out its public health and safety functions.
e I am also pleased to report that NRC is planning to participate in the DOE-sponsored Peaceful Uses Conference, discussing the NRC regulatory program.
e I propose that the Sustainable Energy Committee consider adding a new matrix item entitled " Nuclear Safety." Under this item the NRC and CNS can discuss a specific cooperation program such as training in technical areas including plant aging and regulation of uranium mill tailings. Providing that resources are available, South African trainees could receive short-term (2 weeks to 30 days') formalized course work at NRC's Technical Training Center, as well as longer tenn (6 months to one year) on-the-job training in our headquarters and regional offices.
- A second NRC proposal under the " Nuclear Safety" matrix item would be to seek funding for South African participation in international nuclear safety research in the NRC-sponsored Cooperative Severe Accident Research Program (CSARP) and the Reactor Vessel Embrittlement and Steam Generator Tube Integrity program. This too would be subject to available funding.
- A means by which South Africa can further enhance its nuclear regulatory program is to actively participate in the various international nuclear safety regimes and institutions. I urge the South African Government to ratify the Convention on Nuclear Safety, which is likely to enter into force this fall. The Parties to the Convention are obligated to report on and peer review each other's nuclear programs, creating a global " nuclear safety culture."
e I look forward to developing these issues further during my trip to South Africa in September.
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jM UNITED STATES
%,*e NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION e* WASHINGTON. D.C. 20555-0001 E o
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- July 23, 1996 j
CHAIRMAN Dr. R. Chidambaram ,
Chairman Atomic Energy Commission Department of Atomic Energy Anushakti Bhavan Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg .
Mumbai-400 039 )
India 1
Dear Dr. Chidambaram:
Thank you- for your letters of June 11 and July 22 notifying me of your intended visit to the United States in August of this year. I, too, enjoyed j our conversation at the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum in April and look l forward to continuing our discussions.
I am pleased to know that you are seeking comments from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, Ltd. (NPCIL),
and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) on the three projects proposed by t the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as part of the NRC's informal, reciprocal nuclear safety dialogue with the AERB. The resources for full implementation )
of the projects will come from the U.S.-India' Fund once the appropriate Indian ;
government agencies have given their approval to proceed.
I look forward to our meeting on August 2. ]
i' Sincerely, Shirley Ann Jackson i
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,1 ~'i' NOTATION VOTE -
4 RESPONSE SHEET TO: John C. Hoyle, Secretary FROM: CHAIRMAN JACKSON
SUBJECT:
SECY-96-141 - DOE SUBSEQUENT ARRANGEMENT REQUEST TO. ADD FIVE EURATOM MOX FACILITIES TO U.S.-JAPAN AGREEMENT FOR COOPERATION f
Approved Disapproved Abstain Not Participating Request Discussion COMMENTS:
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MM/ %s SIGNhTURE Release Vote / // July 10,1996 DATE Withhold Vote / /
Entered on "AS" Yes No shan vf e .)
-9697/-70M /p,
.)u NOTATION VOTE RESPONSE SHEET TO: John C. Hoyle, Secretary FROM: CHAIRMAN JACKSON
SUBJECT:
SECY-96-114 - PROPOSED LICENSE TO EXPORT MAJOR REACTOR COMPONENTS (XR164) AND SPECIAL NUCLEAR MATERIAL (XSNM02858) TO COLUMBIA with
. Approved XX comment Disapproved Abstain Not Participating Request Discussion COMMENTS:
I approve the proposed export pending confirmation that the physical security modifications have been completed in Colombia, which would allow Colombia to meet the recommendations of IAEA INFCIRC/225/Rev.3.
In the future, staff should closely coordinate their work to ensure that statements are accurate, and that inconsistencies do not prevail.
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[ SIG%ATURE Ju h 3, 1996 Release Vote / XX / l DATE
-Withhold vote / /
Entered on AS Yes XX No N
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- i 4 UNITED STATES
[" t NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION I j
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-4001 g
e jf July 2, 1996 CHAIRMAN Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan j Chairman Atomic. Energy Regulatory. Board 4th Floor, North Wing Vikram'Sarabhai Bhavan Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai 400 094 j India
Dear Dr. Gopalakrishnan:
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Since I understand that your term in office ended last month, I wanted to express to you my sincere appreciation for your important work in helping to establish the U.S. Nuclear l
Regulatory Commission (NRC) - Atomic Energy Regulatory Board' ( AERB)
-nuclear safety dialogue. Although we have not yet had an :
opportunity to meet personally, I am aware of your significant !
contributions to strengthen the AERB and to apply international j standards of health and safety to the Indian nuclear program. l l
I share your. fundamental commitment to strong, independent, l technically capable nuclear regulatory systems. I hope your successors will continue to implement-the high standards which your leadership'has established. It is also my hope that the NRC and AERB will be able to build on the foundations'of our nuclear ;
safety. dialogue a regularized exchange of important safety- i related information within the framework of our respective governments' poiicies. l t
! With your distinguished past accomplishments I have ne doubt you will make significant contributions in future activities of your l choice. I offer my very best wishes to you in these endeavors.
Sincerely, I'
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[" -4 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION j
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A :j WASHINGTON. D.C. 2055W1 jf July 2, 1996 CHAIRMAN 1
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Dr. Hiroshi Ohishi I Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel I Development Corporation (PNC) I 9-13, 1 chome, Akasaka Minato-ku Tokyo, Japan i
Dear Dr. Ohishi:
j Thank you for your letter of May 28, 1996, informing me that you have resigned from the presidency of the Power Reactor and i Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation. I remain very grateful for your kind hospitality while I was in Japan in April and appreciated the enlightening discussions we had regarding PNC's j work on the Fast Breeder Reactor and the plutonium fuel cycle. j 1
The Monju accident that occurred ,1ast December was very j unfortunate, but already many lessons have been learned that are l strengthening Japan's national safety program. I can understand !
the many challenges and difficulties that you have faced during ,
the last six months. As I said to you when we last talked, I l believe that you have been very committed to uncovering the cause '
of the accident and implementing necessary changes to improve public understanding and operating procedures at Monju. 1 I wish you every success in your new endeavors. Please let me know if you will have an opportunity to visit Washington.
Sincerely, Shirley Ann Jackson l
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UNITED STATES e *,; . -4. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 2055!MX)01 gt,, , {JJ(((j j , June 17 1996 CHAIRMAN 5 Dr. Masaji Yoshikawa
, President '
Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute ,
Tokyo, Japan -
Dear President Yoshikawa:
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Please accept my congratulations on the celebration of JAERI's 40th anniversary. The excellent research work accomplished by JAERI has significantly contributed to the stable foundation of Japan's safe nuclear power program. JAERI and the NRC also have a strong partnership in safety ;
research, and I look forward to our continued collaboration. ;
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Sincerely, !
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