APEC Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Disaster Prevention Initiative (draft)

APEC Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Disaster PreventionInitiative (draft)I. ObjectiveEnergy demand in APEC region has been soaring in recent years. Inthe face of threat from skyrocketing fossil fuel prices and the pressure ofGHG emission reduction, nuclear power generation, with its advantageson low carbon emission, has been valued once again. More and moreAPEC economies have taken positive and active attitudes toward nuclearpower generation, facilitating the development of it or adopting nuclearenergy as a potential alternative energy option in the future.By the end of 2010, total installed capacity of nuclear powercapacity in APEC members is 278,968MWe, amounting to nearly 74% ofit globally; by the end of November 2010, 43 nuclear power units withtotal installed capacity of 43,148MWe are under construction in APECregion, amounting to 72% of the newly built nuclear power units globally.These figures show that APEC is and will be playing a significant role inthe development of global nuclear power generation. The closegeographical connection and economic and trade interaction within APECeconomies also make nuclear safety one of the keys to sustainabledevelopment of APEC. How to ensure nuclear safety, thus preventingnuclear disasters, is a cross-border issue, and it is especially so for APECregion.Owing to the fact that the planning of economic growth anddevelopment in APEC region, especially in developing economies, is tosome extent based on the assumption of stable growth of nuclear powergeneration, therefore, in the midst of increasing global attention onnuclear safety, it is necessary and urgent to promote cooperation on1

nuclear safety and nuclear disaster prevention within the APECframework and to enhance sharing and dissemination of relevantknowledge and experience.For the past few decades, multilateral organizations, such asInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), OECD Nuclear EnergyAgency (NEA), and World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO),have developed universal standards and regulations concerning nuclearsafety and non-proliferation, nuclear waste disposal and management,radiation prevention, disaster emergency response, nuclear technologydevelopment, nuclear energy facility standards, and operation and reviewof nuclear power plants. Nuclear safety networks have also beenestablished. It is expected that new, stricter and more reliable safetystandards and regulations will be developed to enhance the capacity ofnuclear power plants in response to compound disasters.APEC Energy Ministerial Declaration of 2010 acknowledged thatcooperation among member economies and with relevant multilateralorganizations can help the constructions of new nuclear power plants. Inthis regard, based on the close cooperation that have been built betweenAPEC and major international energy organizations in the past few years,this Initiative will expand cross-organizational energy cooperation tonuclear energy fields. In order to explore best solution to the challengesof nuclear safety and sustainable development encountered by APEC, theInitiative will promote regular dialogues and collaborations betweenAPEC and relevant multilateral organizations. In addition to the dialoguesand cooperation with other organizations, EWG and EPWG shoulddevelop closer contact and cooperation on this issue based on theirindividual expertise and responsibility within the framework of APEC.2

Meanwhile, in order to strengthen the conformity of APEC membereconomies on practice and regulation of nuclear safety and nucleardisaster prevention, it is necessary to pay greater attention to nuclearsafety related issues such as governance, nuclear regulation, disasterprevention mechanism, information disclosure and public communication.Thus, this Initiative will establish a framework and a platform for APECcooperation on nuclear safety and disaster prevention to promote theexperience sharing and knowledge dissemination with regard to thegovernance and establishment of system. It will also conduct regularreviews on nuclear disaster emergency preparedness mechanism tostrengthen the existing information reporting and the support and dispatchfunctions in this region.In addition, this Initiative will also encourage cooperation on nuclearsafety and disaster prevention to cover not only professionals but alsonon-professionals, for example, disaster prevention training and exercisesfor government staff and the public. This initiative is also expected toconduct comprehensive training, information cooperation and experiencesharing on public education and communication of nuclear safety.In summary, the objective of this Initiative is to strengthen thecapacity building of nuclear safety and disaster prevention in APECeconomies from a preventive perspective, and to ensure zero probabilityof any nuclear disaster in APEC region. It also aims to assist inpublic-private nuclear safety education and communication in membereconomies to jointly promote a safe, reliable and sustainable environmentfor nuclear utilization.3

II. Background1. The APEC Framework for Capacity Building Initiative onEmergency Preparedness was endorsed in 1998; in the same yearAustralia led the establishment of the APEC Virtual Task Force onEmergency Preparedness (VTFEP) as a communication platform. In 2005,the APEC Strategy on Response to and Preparedness for NaturalDisasters and Emergencies was passed, and VTFEP was transformed intothe Task Force on Emergency Preparedness (TFEP) under the frameworkof SOM to encourage capacity building of disaster management andrelevant international cooperation. In June 2010 TFEP was upgraded tothe Emergency Preparedness Working Group (EPWG), a permanentworking group that is currently co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia.2. The Sydney APEC Leader’s Declaration of 2007 emphasized thatthe important role for low and zero emissions energy sources andtechnologies, and it stated that for those economies which choose to do so,the use of nuclear energy, in a manner ensuring nuclear safety, securityand non-proliferation in particular its safeguards, can also contribute.3. The Darwin Declaration of 2007 encouraged the development ofcleaner and more efficient power generation technologies, includingrenewables, clean coal, natural gas/LNG, and for interested economies,nuclear technologies; it also encouraged interested APEC economies tojoin the EWG Ad-hoc Group on Nuclear Technologies and to ensure thatthe safety, security, seismic, health and waste handling aspects, includingtrans-border effects, of civilian nuclear energy, are adequately addressed.4. The Fukui Declaration of 2010 expressed that.We therefore need to assess the emissions reduction potential ofnuclear power in APEC. Solid financial frameworks as well as4

cooperation among member economies and with relevant multilateralorganizations, can help to support new nuclear power plant construction.The declaration also instructed the EWG to consider possiblecooperation with other relevant organizations such as the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including its Asian Nuclear SafetyNetwork (ANSN).that5. The Yokohama APEC Leader’s Declaration of 2010 determined.We will promote deployment of low-emission power sources -renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage - tomake our energy supply cleaner.6. In the Medium Term Work Plan (2010-2015) of EWG, interestedeconomies and OECD Nuclear Energy Agency will conduct NuclearPower Emissions Reduction Potential Study to improve understanding ofthe potential of nuclear power to contribute to greenhouse gas emissionsreduction goals in APEC.5

III. Activities to be advancedThis Initiative shall be advanced by interested economies, includingthose who have already possessed or planned to develop nuclear powergeneration, and those who may develop nuclear power generation in thefuture. By means of workshops, exercises, personnel training andinformation sharing, this Initiative will conduct experience sharing andcooperation to strengthen APEC’s capacity for emergency preparedness.Planned activities are as follow:1. Promotion of cross-organizational cooperation• Collaboration between APEC EWG and EPWG to strengthenAPEC’s capacity of emergency preparedness with regard tonuclear energy.• Collaboration on nuclear safety between APEC andnuclear-related organizations such as Asian Nuclear SafetyNetwork (ANSN) of IAEA and Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)of OECD to strengthen the safety of nuclear energy utilization inmember economies.2. Promotion of information sharing• Workshop on APEC nuclear safety and disaster prevention toshare member economies’ regulation framework of nuclear safety,disaster prevention mechanism and disaster response approachesand experiences.• Workshop on public education and communication informationof APEC nuclear safety and disaster prevention for membereconomies to exchange respective approaches and experiences onnuclear safety information disclosure and public communication.6

• Establishment of a web-based platform to collect relevantinformation on nuclear safety and disaster prevention for membereconomies’ sharing and discussion.3. Dissemination of knowledge• Personnel training and education of nuclear safety regulators inAPEC region.• Study on Best Practices of APEC nuclear safety informationdissemination system and preventive measures.IV. Benefits to APECThrough information sharing, knowledge dissemination andcross-organizational collaboration, this Initiative aims at assistingeconomies in their capacity building of nuclear safety and nuclear disasterprevention, and to promote conformity of APEC’s operation towardsnuclear safety and disaster prevention. This Initiative also seeks to help topromote economies’ public education and communication of nuclearsafety and to contribute to energy security and sustainable developmentof APEC.7