[en] The conference theme of ^International Cooperation in the Pacific Rim for the 21st Century^has been chosen in consideration of both the historical objectives of these PBNC meetings, and to focus ways in which international cooperation can assist in overcoming the challenges to further realization of the many benefits of nuclear technology in the next millennium, particularly in the countries and regions of the Pacific Rim. Key challenges to overcome include: assuring safety by implanting a safety culture, securing economic competitiveness, establishing the safe disposal of radioactive wastes and securing the understanding and support of the general public. These areas have been selected as key topics for discussion in several of the plenary, panel and parallel sessions for this 11th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference

[en] Since the Industrial Revolution, mankind's consumption of energy has increased as our civilization has developed and our standard of living has improved. This mass consumption of energy has naturally brought about a number of environmental problems. The first incidences of pollution were regional and even local problems involving things like dust, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Pollution has since become an urgent dilemma in some rapidly industrializing nations, but in most so-called 'advanced nations' it is well under control, with lesser significant public health threats. The most serious environmental problem facing us today is global warming, caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Unlike other forms of pollution restricted to certain regions or countries, this phenomenon affects the stability of the global carbon cycle, and will require synthetic solutions based on very long-term prospect. In terms of both time and space, humanity has never before faced a challenge of such global problem. We cannot halt the emission of carbon dioxide gas as long as we use fossil fuels, but we will not be able to solve this problem if we continue to view it in terms of shortsighted equations like 'control of fossil fuel equals control of energy.' In developing countries, there is a strong link between increased energy consumption and economic growth, and the ongoing population explosion in such countries more or less ensures that their energy consumption will continue to grow. In advanced nations, too, the spread of information technology is leading to greater energy consumption in homes and offices. Energy is also needed to process and recycle various kinds of waste. Even if we promote energy saving, it is realistic to expect the demand for energy to continue growing gradually. Some argue that the use of energy should be restricted, even if it affects our standard of living - but lifestyle choices are personal decisions, and this approach would be unlikely to enjoy wide spread support. We must therefore find a way to reduce energy consumption and decrease CO² emission while maintaining our current quality of life. This means using energy efficiently and developing 'cleaner' energy sources that emit less carbon dioxide gas; the advanced nations are already moving in this direction. In this article, we will take a look at past energy structures of advanced countries from the perspectives of efficiency and cleanness in an attempt to draw some useful lessons in energy and the environment for the coming century. (author)

[en] The licensing status and procedures, regulatory framework, and current safety issues of CANDU type reactors, Wolsong units 2, 3 and 4 are examined. Licensing difficulties and lessons learned during the safety review of Wolsong 2, 3 and 4 and future requirements are also summarized. The review was conducted, not only to confirm the design adequacy with respect to the domestic atomic laws and regulatory requirements of the vendor country, Canada, but also to reflect into the design the lessons learned from the regulatory experiences of operating Wolsong I to enhance the safety as high as practically possible. Safety issues observed during the licensing review, such as containment integrity, fuel channel integrity, etc., are summarized. Several efforts have been conducted to harmonize the Canadian regulations with the Korean ones by establishing domestic regulatory positions and guidelines. For example, the utility was requested to produce the CANDU safety analysis report in a standard format based on the Korean regulation which is similar to U.S. Reg. Guide 1.70. The safety of CANDU reactors in Korea will be improved and enhanced continuously through a closer cooperation with the AECB and AECL as well as with the IAEA. (author)

[en] The CANDU pressurized heavy water design has been established over three decades of operation. Historically CANDU has been developed by a successful partnership between AECL, the designer and developer, and the operating utilities. Maintaining good performance of a nuclear power plant is primarily the responsibility of the owner operator; but there is a common interest between the design organization and the operator in achieving good performance. AECL is emphasizing activities and partnerships to provide engineering and Research and Development (R and D) to reduce operating costs for new plants and support existing plants. Among these are: a comprehensive, structured process to deal with project, operations and other feedback; teams to study issues with impact on capacity factor and OM and A cost and identify initiatives in response; an integrated plant life management program in conjunction with CANDU 6 utilities; and strategic information technology products installed at the plants in support of improved station operation, sponsored by the CANDU Owner's Group. The breadth of these programs gives AECL a unique ability to link between support to operating plants, and the development of improved Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) designs for the future. (author)

No abstract available

[en] In anticipation of the introduction in the early 2000s of a nuclear power plant, the Government of Indonesia (GOI), through the National Atomic Energy Agency (BATAN) , has formulated a Bid Invitation Specification (BIS) in parallel with the completion of the NPP Feasibility Study. This BIS formulation assumed an open international tender for the first unit of the NPP with project financing as a conventional loan. The GOI's recent policy is to minimize government financial support for power development. This paper summarizes a financing strategy for the Indonesian NPP project to make the NPP economically viable, and provides a general discussion on project financing using a conventional approach, Build--Own-Operate (BOO) and a counter-purchase approach. Innovative approaches for financing are still being pursued in order to obtain an optimum solution for investors and owners, to fulfill the Indonesian government's requirements. (author)

[en] Being convinced that nuclear energy will play an important role in meeting its huge future energy demands, China considers that the development of a very strong national nuclear industry capable of covering all aspects of a major national power program is of paramount importance.In this context, China has invited its foreign partners to propose contributions to the studies for this development, in view of establishing a suitable cooperation program with the entire Chinese nuclear power industry, including design institutes, equipment manufacturers, construction companies and plant operators.One of the main objectives defined by the Chinese authorities for the further development of their nuclear industry with some international cooperation is the achievement of a very high level of self-reliance by Chinese industry in all of the following areas: project management, design and engineering, construction, equipment design and manufacturing,operation and maintenance. The major key to reaching this target of overall and long term self reliance lies in the implementation of thorough design know how transfer towards all partners of the Chinese nuclear industry, who shall acquire the necessary capabilities so as to completely master nuclear engineering. While this policy might entail fairly high front end investments by the technology receivers, in terms of industrial infrastructure nad engineering capabilities it is expected to pay off over the long term with the development of a substantial nuclear power plant construction program.(DM)

No abstract available

[en] The Uranium Institute is co-ordinating a project that will allow a comparison of public opinion between different countries. Preliminary work found that such a comparison could not be made using the then existing data. The Institute, therefore, developed a series of questions that can be used to make valid comparisons. After these questions had been included in public opinion surveys conducted in three countries, a preliminary analysis of results was carried out. This has shown some interesting similarities and differences. Further work is underway to determine the relationship between political goals and attitudes towards nuclear power. (author)

[en] Herein we have studied the effects of some hereditary and environmental factors on children's states of health. The factors under investigation, along with radiation, also impact the immunological status and human adaptivity, thus disguising hazardous radiation effects. The state-of-health criterion we have chosen are children's liability to a wide range of intrinsic diseases through the first three years of life. The analysis involved 626 children (326 male and 300 female) who's parents and grandparents lived in the vicinity of the Russian Federal Nuclear Centre (RFNC), a large-scale nuclear facility. Our results should preferably be taken into consideration when projecting radiation effects on the human body. (author)