IEEE Spectrum November, 2011 - 49

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Q: How can international entities ensure safety in

countries that plan to join the nuclear power club soon?

Q: What about ensuring

nuclear safety in China,
which is building reactors
A: For operators that are moving toward fuel loading in
at a rapid rate?
their first reactor, the World Association of Nuclear Operators offers A: It would be a mistake to assume that
pre-start-up peer reviews. This effort is focused particularly on China is less concerned about nuclear
safety than are other nations. China's
countries without previous nuclear power experience. The transition emphasis on safety was illustrated by
between construction and operation at a nuclear power plant is a the government's immediate response
to Fukushima: Five days after the
delicate period, and many incidents (most notably, Three Mile Island) Fukushima
accident began, the State
occur during the early months of plant operation.
Council of the People's Republic of China
announced that it would suspend approv-JohN RITCh, director general of the World Nuclear Association (WNA)
als for new nuclear power stations and
conduct comprehensive safety checks of
all nuclear projects.
Q: In the United States,
Q: Will the Fukushima
Last year the International Atomic
there's already talk of
accident cause companies
energy Agency carried out a two-week
extending plants' operating
to reevaluate their newest
review of China's regulatory framework
licenses to 80 years. What
reactor designs? Is there
for nuclear safety. The IAeA made a numare the challenges in renewing the
a new urgency to develop advanced,
ber of recommendations but concluded
licenses of aging plants?
Generation IV reactors?
A: There are many technical issues to A: The entire nuclear industry is evalu- that the review had provided "confidence
examine in determining whether a sec- ating the impact of the Fukushima event in the effectiveness of the Chinese safety
ond license extension is safe and econom- on reactor designs. Westinghouse will regulatory system and the future safety of
ically feasible. Decisions will have to made, incorporate lessons learned into its the vast expanding nuclear industry."
for example, on which pieces of equip- AP1000 design (a generation III+ reactor -JohN RITCh, director
ment have to be replaced, which can be design) when an industry consensus is general of the WNA
upgraded, and which can continue oper- achieved. There will be no significant
ating. You can replace many things in a change in our direction and no new
nuclear power station-pumps, motors, urgency to pursue development of
Q: What's the best
valves, pipe work. The concrete contain- generation Iv designs. These generation
solution to the nuclear
ment, however, is pretty tough to replace. Iv designs are typically considered to be
waste problem?
So we're working to understand the aging advanced reactors that use either gas or
A: Compared to keeping
mechanisms of concrete and what the deg- liquid metals as reactor coolant instead of waste on the surface indefinitely, putting
radation process may be, and then, if nec- water. The commercialization of these it 500 meters underground is much more
essary, we can develop inspection tech- generation Iv reactors is not feasible in safe. establishing a permanent repository
niques. So far, we haven't found anything the near term, as many technical chal- is more a political than a technical probthat would be a technical showstopper.
lenges need to be addressed.
lem. Congress tried to force a spent-fuel
-NeIL WILmShURST, vice president
-eD CUmmINS, vice president of new plant
repository on Nevada, but forcing a host
of the nuclear sector at the Electric
technology for Westinghouse Electric Co.
community has not worked in any democPower Research Institute (EPRI)
racy. As the blue Ribbon Commission on
America's Nuclear Future has observed
in its draft report, "a new consent-based
approach to siting" is required. This
Q: How have the industry's R&D priorities changed after Fukushima?
A: one area that clearly needs attention involves the industry's under- approach has been adopted successfully
standing of external events that impact more than one reactor on a site, by Sweden and Finland and is quickly
and the consequences of those events. Fukushima was a clear demon- becoming the standard approach.
stration that you can't always rely on equipment and functionality from a neighboring -FRANk voN hIPPeL, codirector of
the program on science and global security
unit to support the unit in trouble.
at Princeton University
-NeIL WILmShURST, vice president of the nuclear sector at EPRI
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum November, 2011