Remarks at the International Conference on Human Resource Development for Introducing and Expanding Nuclear Power Programs

Thank you and good morning, everyone. I am pleased to be in Abu Dhabi, which I have heard so much about but have never visited before. During my tenure at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as Chairman and now as a Commissioner, I have traveled extensively across the globe in support of international nuclear safety and security and visited a number of countries. So, I can say with some experience that this is one of the most impressive examples of modern development that I have encountered anywhere in my travels. I congratulate the UAE for its commitment to national development, to this location, and to the ideal of progress toward a bright future. The topic of this conference - human resources development and the expansion of nuclear power - is about the commitment and investment in people. The importance of this 'human side' of modern technology is sometimes forgotten or assumed to develop on its own once basic educational programs and institutions are put in place. In my view, the development and maintenance of a skilled national workforce is critical to the development of a stable, successful national nuclear power program. As many of you know, I am on leave from the University of Texas and will soon be returning there. And because of my academic background, I have made the need to expand scientific and engineering education and to promote technological development a recurring theme in my numerous presentations while serving at the U.S. NRC. So I am pleased to participate in this conference today and to share the podium for this keynote address session with my distinguished and honorable colleague from India, Mr. Rajagopala Chidambaram. I also want to commend the International Atomic Energy Agency for convening this special conference on this vital subject. The subject of highly qualified, nuclear trained people has been a significant theme in my speeches and private conversations. There is little doubt that ensuring there will be enough trained and dedicated staff in the nuclear field is a major challenge around the world. In 2008, the Nuclear Energy Agency released its long term energy projections. It predicted that the production of electricity from nuclear energy worldwide in the year 2050 will rise from the current 400 gigawatts to at least 600 gigawatts. That is the low estimate. The high estimate is 1,400 gigawatts. But I doubt, with today's economic conditions, that this high end number will be achieved by 2050. Nonetheless, adding an additional 200 gigawatts while maintaining the safe and efficient operation of the existing installed nuclear fleet is still a significant challenge for both the industry and the regulators. It is likely that over the next several years, the construction of new reactors around the world will be based mostly on five or six standard designs constructed by a few multi-national vendors. This will make for greater standardization and, therefore, make it easier for regulators to share safety information and training practices. However, we have already seen that these international firms are confronted with a number of differing national standards, codes, and regulations regarding the construction of the plants. Equally challenging are the skill levels and capacity of the workforce, their ability to overcome language barriers and communicate critical information and, most importantly, their understanding of safety culture. This applies to all disciplines from skilled crafts workers such as welders and mechanics to reactor operators and even to the top level managers and Chief Nuclear Officers. The international competition for these same skill sets will increase exponentially in the near future; moreover, there will be intense competition within each country since the operators of nuclear plants and the regulators that oversee them all need high quality individuals. As a result, I believe strongly that planning for the development of a skilled work force has to go hand-in-hand with planning the expansion of existing nuclear programs or developing new nuclear programs. We need to be planning for the 'human side' of nuclear technology now, not just the equipment. The task of creating a skilled work force for nuclear power programs consists of two related but distinct aspects - formal education and training programs to provide subject matter skills and second, programs to create and constantly reinforce the development of a culture of safety among individuals employed in the nuclear power sector.