WRITTEN QUESTION E-2119/99

by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(22 November 1999)

Subject: Foreign affairs

The United States Government believes that the impact of the change to the year 2000 may cause complications in some secondary security systems at Russian nuclear power stations. In order to prevent possible disasters, the United States and Russia are cooperating on nuclear plant safety projects.

What specific programmes has the Commission launched in this field, given that Europe has even greater cause than the United States to be concerned about ensuring the safety of these installations?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(3 January 2000)

The Commission is very aware of the implications of the year 2000 (Y2K) for nuclear plants in the New Independent States (NIS) and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC). Despite constraints arising from the lack of a mandate for the Community to take direct initiatives in this area, and the tight time-scale, the Commission has, like the United States, made efforts to help Russia and surrounding countries meet the challenges posed by the Y2K issue.

The Commission has channelled extensive support to those institutions which possess the requisite technical experience and know-how the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC) in Moscow and the Science and Technology Centre in Ukraine (STCU).

The Commission instigated consideration of the Y2K issue at the TACIS on-site assistance meetings organised by WANO in November 1998 and May 1999 and instructed on-site assistance contractors to ensure the Y2K compliance of equipment delivered under Community programmes. Y2K instructions were later incorporated into on-site assistance contracts.

A specific TACIS support project is being implemented by WANO, involving visits to designated nuclear power plants in Ukraine and Russia. The organisation is reviewing the Y2K status of these plants and supporting contingency planning efforts in co-ordination with IAEA.

The ISRC has established a special fund totalling 2 M$ to assist Russian and NIS institutions in solving issues related to the Y2K problem, involving individuals and teams from the former weapon research institutes. A number of project proposals have recently been approved. These projects, developed with the participation of the Russian Ministry of atomic energy (Minatom) and the Russian Ministry of emergency situations, will, among others, provide direct support to nine nuclear power plants and to the evaluation of nuclear fuel cycle installations. Funding is directed to co-ordination within Minatom, equipment, software and hardware upgrades and technical expertise. The STCU is undertaking similar efforts in Ukraine.

The Commission is also providing support to the Bulgarian, Slovakian and Russian nuclear regulatory authorities.

In addition to practical advice and assistance, the Commission has endeavoured to raise awareness on the Y2K issue. The Commission's Concert Group (consisting of the senior nuclear regulators of 25 Community, CEEC and NIS countries) has discussed the issue on three occasions since June 1998. All CEEC and NIS nuclear regulatory authorities now have action plans. The content of these plans and their state of progress varies significantly. Some countries are as well prepared as their Community counterparts, while others are significantly less advanced.

The G-24 Nuclear Safety Assistance Co-ordination (NUSAC) secretariat, hosted by the Commission, raised the Y2K issue at its March 1999 meeting. This brought together CEEC and NIS countries and the donors of nuclear safety assistance and considered the role of donor countries in assessing the Y2K compliance of equipment which they had supplied.

Two workshops on essential infrastructures were organised by the Commission in April and September 1999. On 22 July 1999, a dedicated seminar on electricity grids was organised by the Commission. Delegations from Eastern European countries attended the July and September meetings, during which the issue of nuclear safety was discussed.