Press Release-07-065, NRC Signs Memorandum of Cooperation with China on the AP1000
| ML071430209 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/23/2007 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| Category:Press Release | |
| References | |
| AP1000 Press Release-07-065 | |
| Download: ML071430209 (2) | |
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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov No.07-065 May 23, 2007 NRC SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION WITH CHINA ON THE AP1000 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on Nuclear Safety for the Westinghouse Advanced Pressurized Reactor (AP1000) with the National Nuclear Safety Administration of the People's Republic of China (NNSA/China).
Both organizations will continue to exchange information pertaining to regulatory activities and standards required by their organization's mission. Both have the common objective of improving the safety of nuclear facilities and materials and of protecting the public health, safety and the environment. This MOC provides for the establishment of an NRC-NNSA/China Steering Committee to oversee technical cooperation on the AP1000. Cooperative dialogue on the AP1000, a new reactor design, will provide benefits to both NRC and NNSA/China by offering opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of regulatory reviews and construction of this reactor design. Signing on behalf of the NRC during the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue, Commissioner Jeffrey S.
Merrifield said, "This MOC emphasizes the commitment of both countries to the safety of nuclear power." Signing on behalf of NNSA/China was Liu Hua, Assistant Administrator and Director General.
The MOC will be governed by the 2004 Protocol on "Cooperation in Science and Technology,"
which has provided the basis for long-standing general cooperation in nuclear safety matters between the NRC and its regulatory counterparts in China. The Protocol was first signed on Oct. 17, 1981, and has been renewed for five-year periods since then, with the most recent renewal signed on April 23, 2004.
"This signing is another step toward strengthening the U.S.-China strategic economic dialogue, providing cooperation in joint innovations, energy security and the environment," said NRC Chairman Dale Klein.
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