UN nuclear chief urges global rethink of atomic power safety
Source: Agencies |
June 21, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
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THE head of the UN nuclear agency urged a worldwide rethink of safety measures to prevent new nuclear disasters, declaring yesterday that in the wake of the Fukushima catastrophe "business as usual is not an option."
But Yukiya Amano, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also acknowledged that improvements are only effective if countries apply them, in opening comments to the agency's conference on nuclear safety.
While some countries at the 150-member IAEA's meeting want any new safety regime to be mandatory, most prefer them to be voluntary. "Even the best safety standards are useless unless they are actually implemented," Amano said.
A draft of the conference's final statement reflected that it was content to work on upgrading present safety practices and emergency measures without giving the IAEA an enforcing role.
It called only for "a strengthened role of the IAEA in emergency preparedness and response by promoting and possibly expanding existing IAEA response and assistance capabilities." And it urged countries on the threshold of civilian nuclear programs to "create a nuclear safety infrastructure based on IAEA safety standards."
Outlining a five-point plan to strengthen nuclear reactor safety, Amano called for strengthening IAEA standards and ensuring they are applied; establishing regular safety reviews of all the world's reactors; beefing up the effectiveness of national regulatory bodies; strengthening global emergency response systems, and increasing IAEA input in responding to emergencies.
He also urged that the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale - which classifies nuclear incidents on a seven-point scale - be revamped. The March accident at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant was upgraded to seven - the highest on the scale - only on April 12. That was more than a month after an earthquake and tsunami overwhelmed the reactor's cooling system and radiation started leaking into the atmosphere.
Amano proposed "IAEA international expert peer reviews," and establishing stockpiles of emergency equipment by reactor operators to try and prevent a replay of Fukushima.
But Yukiya Amano, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also acknowledged that improvements are only effective if countries apply them, in opening comments to the agency's conference on nuclear safety.
While some countries at the 150-member IAEA's meeting want any new safety regime to be mandatory, most prefer them to be voluntary. "Even the best safety standards are useless unless they are actually implemented," Amano said.
A draft of the conference's final statement reflected that it was content to work on upgrading present safety practices and emergency measures without giving the IAEA an enforcing role.
It called only for "a strengthened role of the IAEA in emergency preparedness and response by promoting and possibly expanding existing IAEA response and assistance capabilities." And it urged countries on the threshold of civilian nuclear programs to "create a nuclear safety infrastructure based on IAEA safety standards."
Outlining a five-point plan to strengthen nuclear reactor safety, Amano called for strengthening IAEA standards and ensuring they are applied; establishing regular safety reviews of all the world's reactors; beefing up the effectiveness of national regulatory bodies; strengthening global emergency response systems, and increasing IAEA input in responding to emergencies.
He also urged that the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale - which classifies nuclear incidents on a seven-point scale - be revamped. The March accident at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant was upgraded to seven - the highest on the scale - only on April 12. That was more than a month after an earthquake and tsunami overwhelmed the reactor's cooling system and radiation started leaking into the atmosphere.
Amano proposed "IAEA international expert peer reviews," and establishing stockpiles of emergency equipment by reactor operators to try and prevent a replay of Fukushima.
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