IYNC Report

IYNC BULLETINInternational Youth Nuclear Congress

IYNC2014 Report

December 2014 www.iync.org

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December 2014 / IYNC Bulletin

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Editorial

Dear IYNC Community

It is my pleasure to introduce you to this term’s first issue of the IYNC Bulletin, where you can read about the great success of IYNC2014 in Burgos, Spain.

We have an exciting new term ahead of us and I am delighted to have a great team of officers to support the IYNC network. The ef-forts of the officers in the past term to expand the IYNC network as far to the east as possible have been successful and we are happy to announce Hangzhou, China as the location of IYNC2016.

The major theme of this term is to address the lack of communica-tion outside the industry of the benefits nuclear technology brings to our society – Nuclear solves problems! Too often we focus our attention on the dangers of nuclear technology, when it is clear this work provides solutions to many problems (clean, affordable energy, desalination for clean water, medical imaging and cancer treatment, just to name a few). In addition to the regular work of the IYNC Network to prepare IYNC2016, organize and support knowledge transfer activities and publish the IYNC Bulletin, we will have an added focus to address the lack of public communication in our industry. In 2015, we will see the UNFCCC CoP21 meeting of world leaders to discuss climate change in Paris. In response, IYNC together with the YGNs around the world will be launching the #Nuclear4Climate initiative to ensure the benefits of nuclear tech-nology are considered as part of the climate change solution. Keep reading our bulletins and follow us on Facebook and Weibo to stay posted on these activities. #Nuclear4Climate will only be successful with your help.

In evidence of the fact that nuclear solves problems, we have seen a lot of activity recently in the development of new YGN networks as more countries develop peaceful nuclear technology programs. During the continental reports of Burgos, we have learned that in addition to the North America and European organizations, we are now seeing the formation of the Asia YGN and Latin America YGN. Following the momentum of IYNC2014, there is also a growing in-terest to see the establishment of the African YGN.

So, please enjoy the articles in our bulletin and read of the great success Jovenes Nucleares and the IYNC2014 Executive Committee made in Burgos.

Sincerely yours, Melissa Crawford / IYNC President


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Contents

IYNC Network Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

IYNC Network News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

IYNC2014 in Burgos, Spain . . . . . . . . . . 8

IYNC2014 / day 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

IYNC2014 / day 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

IYNC2014 / day 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

IYNC2014 / day 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

IYNC2014 / day 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Young Professionals To Lead Next Revolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Fukushima’s Agriculture After The 2011 Accident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Country Report —Ukraine . . . . . . . . . . 24

Country Report — Argentina . . . . . . . 27

Country Report — Australia . . . . . . . . 29

IYNC BULLETIN #4

Bulletin Editor:

Lubomir [email protected]

Authors:

Lubomir Mitev,

Denis Zenyuk,

Hiroshi Kainum,

Timothy Rownes

www.iync.org


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IYNC Network Officers

Melissa Crawford PresidentMelissa Crawford is a graduate from the Nuclear Engineering pro-gram at the University of Florida. Melissa participated in intern-ships at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA in 2005 and 2006. Her work was focused on non-destructive identification of the mass and enrichment of Plutonium isotopes in oxide samples. This was performed as a joint project between ORNL and the Joint Research Center in Italy.

After university, Melissa began work on Instrumentation and Con-trol projects with Siemens in the power industry. She worked on analog to digital modernization projects in existing plants and digi-tal design for new build nuclear power plants. Melissa is currently working on commissioning the conventional island of AREVA’s Tais-han EPR Instrumentation & Control systems with INP-e engineering firm in Erlangen, Germany.

Melissa has been working with IYNC for over four years and is happy to lead the next term as IYNC President and General Co-Chair of IYNC2016 in Hangzhou, China. The focus during this term will be addressing communication outside the nuclear industry and strengthening collaboration with YGN’s worldwide.

Ekaterina Ryabikovskaya Vice PresidentEkaterina works as a Managing Editor at ROSATOM corporate newspaper in Moscow. She has a Diploma in Computer Science and currently she is in her sixth year at the National Research Nuclear University MEPHI, majoring in nuclear engineering. Her field of scientific interest comprises high-temperature-reactor fuel and the mathematical modeling of the processes occurring in it during ir-radiation.

Ekaterina has been involved in IYNC since 2006.


5Rahul Srinivasan Executive SecretaryRahul is originally from India and has been working in the US as a consultant for global nuclear energy clients for the past four years. As an IYNC officer and founding member of the young generation network in his home country, India, he firmly believes that young nuclear professionals across the globe can collaborate effectively to sustain a strong international nuclear community. Beyond his professional engagements, he is a tennis and soccer enthusiast and enjoys teaching and traveling.

Nicolas Anciaux Past PresidentNicolas works as a mechanical engineer for the Westinghouse Elec-tric Company. He received a Master of Science in Mechanical Engi-neering from the Université Catholique de Louvain (2006) focus-ing on energy and finite elements analysis.

Nicolas has worked for two years at LMS-Siemens as a structural analyst before starting to work in February 2009 at Westinghouse Electric Belgium where he led engineering projects on European power plants and the AP1000 design. Nicolas has now been work-ing in China since January 2014 on the world’s first AP1000 nuclear plant in Sanmen.

Nicolas was responsible for the communications of the Belgian Nuclear Society Young Generation for two years where he helped the Belgian nuclear industry to be more transparent. He then went on to become President of the International Youth Nuclear Con-gress (IYNC) during the 2012-2014 term and led to develop IYNC’s communication through social media, expand the IYNC network to Asia, collaborate with other international nuclear associations and organize IYNC2014 in Burgos, Spain.

Nicolas believes that Young Generation Networks and IYNC in particular provide the best environment to build a strong network, learn about the different aspects of the nuclear sector and form the future international leaders of our great industry.


6Dan O’Connor TreasurerDan O’Connor has been the IYNC Network Treasurer since March 2013. He works for Exelon Corporation, currently at the Limerick Generating Station outside of Philadelphia, PA, in the United States. His primary responsibility there is the oversight of the programs governing primary containment integrity, ultimate heat sink func-tionality, and implementation of FLEX (Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies for Beyond Design Basis Events).

Dan is from Albany, NY. He holds a BA in Physics from the College of the Holy Cross (having spent a year abroad at Oxford Uni-versity), an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MBA in Strategic Management from Vil-lanova University. He previously worked for the International Atom-ic Energy Agency and Westinghouse Electric Company.

Dan is interested in the policies, technologies, and diplomacy needed to expand electricity availability while reducing its impact to the environment. He believes that nuclear power will play an integral part in a global energy portfolio which assigns a cost to greenhouse emissions.

Lubomir Mitev Bulletin EditorLubomir is a journalist for the global nuclear news network NucNet. He has a MA in European Studies and an MA in European Poli-tics and Policies. He has been engaged with the topics of energy and environment since 2009 and joined NucNet in 2013. He was brought on as editor of the IYNC Bulletin in 2014.

Lubomir does not belong to a nuclear YGN organization but is engaged with IYNC in order to spread the message of young pro-fessionals in the nuclear sector. He is dedicated to the development of nuclear energy and believes the flow of information to the new generation is the best way to help.

Lubomir lives in Belgium and enjoys soccer, movies and hiking.


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IYNC NewsDuring IYNC2014, a new team of offic-ers were elected for the period 2014-2016. Please welcome these new members as we look to expand IYNC’s horizons over the next few years. The newly elected officers are next expected to meet in Paris in June 2015 during the European YGN conference to discuss the next steps for IYNC and to continue engaging the international nuclear community. At the Paris meeting, IYNC will also hold a mid-term Board of Directors meeting.

We are also proud to announce that Hang-zhou, China was selected as the venue for IYNC2016. More details on the conference will follow in the next issue of the Bulletin!

YGN NewsThe Kenyan Young Generation in Nuclear was officially launched in October 2014. IYNC congratulates Kenya on beginning this journey of advancing energy and environ-mental issues by promoting the secure, safe and peaceful application of nuclear science and technology.

AnnouncementsSteffen Christmann retired from the German young generation network and has been replaced by Mr. Heiko Herbell as the IYNC National Representative from Germany. Similarly, the Finnish representative has been changed from Henri Ormus to Niina Miettinen. We thank Steffen and Henri for their contributions to IYNC and are confi-dent that Heiko and Niina will successfully fulfill their new roles.

IYNC is all set to appoint motivated and committed professionals to two new posi-tions: Project Chair-YGN Liaison and Web-master. The next bulletin will feature the names of the two elected candidates. The YGN liaison will help countries to form new YGNs and also further facilitate IYNC’s col-laboration with local organizations in differ-ent countries. The Webmaster will manage our website and also work towards enhanc-ing our communication channels.

IYNC is looking to revamp its current logo and will soon be inviting the IYNC commu-nity to suggest ideas based on guidelines that will be posted on the website. Exciting prizes will await the winner whose design is selected.

IYNC Network News

Please like us on Facebook, Twitter (@IYNC), Linkedin, Wechat and Weibo. We regularly share news about our network and the nuclear community at large


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The 8th International Youth Nuclear Con-gress (IYNC2014) took place in Burgos, Spain, from 6–12 July 2014. The congress provided a platform for global networking for a new nuclear generation. The confer-ence is hosted once every two years and is dedicated not only to young nuclear profes-sionals, but also to their senior colleagues. The event’s objective is to enable the shar-ing of knowledge and experience between a culturally diverse audience that represents all six continents of the world.

Under the headline: ‘Up to the challenge’ the young nuclear generation present wanted to prove to the world that following the Fukushima accident they are ready for the new challenges ahead, such as improv-ing safety standards beyond ‘unexpected events’, enhancing new technology and continuing with the renaissance of Gen-III reactors.

The congress started at the FORUM Evolu-cion Congress Center on the evening of 6 July, with registration and an Opening Reception that was followed by Welcome Drinks.

On 7 July, after the Opening Address and welcome speeches delivered by Nicolas Anciaux, IYNC2014 President, and Raquel Ochoa Valero, IYNC2014 General Co-Chair-man from the host country, the Opening Session got under way.

“Up to the Challenge”The Opening Session of IYNC2014 featured addresses from Francisco Lopez, President of the Spanish Nuclear Society, who deliv-ered an inspiring message about the cur-rent state of nuclear energy in Spain and the challenges and opportunities that it faces, and Fernando Gomez Aguado, Dep-

IYNC2014 in Burgos, Spain

Text by Denis Zenyuk


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uty Mayor of Burgos, who welcomed the participants to the historic city of Burgos, the ‘Pride of Castile’ — one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. He also welcomed participants to the largest ‘youth nuclear conference’ on the calendar.

The Keynote Session featured outstand-ing invited speakers. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former Vice-President of the European Parliament, from Spain, delivered a speech about the main challenges facing nu-clear, resources dependence, and the role of nuclear energy in the energy market. Another guest speaker, Danny Roderick, President and CEO, Westinghouse, USA, delivered a speech about Westinghouse’s business structure, new nuclear build in USA, the market fundamentals and the role of nuclear energy in the future. The main message for the nuclear young generation from Mr. Roderick was the need to set your “True North”. No one knows exactly what pathway our lives will follow, but to really achieve our goals, to reach our maximum potential, to live a full and rewarding life, we need to establish and hold on to our own set of values, our own True North.

Next up was the Country Reports Session, which provided another unique opportu-nity for the international Young Generation Network (YGN) member countries to share their national reports (more than 30 coun-try reports featured brief summaries of nuclear developments and YGN activities in each country).

From Monday afternoon onwards, and for the rest of the week, the IYNC2014 contin-ued at the Atapuerca Conference Center, which belongs to the ABBA Burgos Hotel.

The IYNC2014 conference programme featured excellent technical content. More than 70 speakers from 5 continents, most of them highly recognised experts or lead-ers of nuclear industry and R&D environ-ment, presented their work. The Technical Programme session, which was chaired by Denis Janin, was based on three pillars: Technical Tracks, Workshops, andPlenary & Panel sessions. Its main objective was to ensure that every participant would go back home with meaningful and innovative takeaways from IYNC2014, while having at the same time expanded his or her network.


10Technical ProgrammeThe Technical Tracks, chaired by Alberto Foronda-Delgado, enabled knowledge transfer among young and experienced professionals from all around the world, promoted networking, and contributed to the personal development of participants. There were 11 different technical tracks: Plant Operation and Maintenance, Design Modifications, Radiation Protection; New Reactors (Gen 3+ and SMRs); Reactor Physics and Materials (including Advanced Reactors, e. g. Gen 4); Nuclear Safety, PRA, Severe Accidents and Fukushima-related topics; Fuel Cycle front end and non-pro-liferation; Decommissioning, Waste Man-agement and Fuel Cycle back-end; Nuclear Fusion; Training, HR development, Organi-zational Factors; Nuclear Politics and Eco-nomics, Communication, Social Acceptance; Nuclear Medicine and Non-Electric Power Applications and YGN Best Practices.

Participants had the opportunity during the 4 days to attend more than 140 oral presen-tations in 30 oral sessions, one poster ses-sion with more than 40 posters presented, and one related Special Session — the 8th 2014 ENEN PhD Event.

The best papers will be published in the Spanish Nuclear Society Journal and in the Nuclear Science and Engineering journal — a publication by the American Nuclear So-ciety, published following a corresponding external peer review process.

Workshops, chaired by Crystian Ioppolo, were designed to provide a more interactive educational experience for IYNC2014 par-ticipants, as well as unique networking opportunities. There were 15 interactive workshops and 4 media training workshops, which together developed innovative con-cepts on various key topics.

The Plenary & Panel Sessions, chaired by Kristine Madden and Shengke Zhi, invited a number of world nuclear leaders, recog-nized experts and numerous youth leaders

to share, learn and discuss the most popular topics from across the international nuclear sector. They gave a unique opportunity for participants to meet and debate with recognized industry leaders and experts on cutting edge topics for the energy and nuclear energy industry.

The showing of the film Pandora’s Promise, a groundbreaking new film about the myths and science behind nuclear energy, was in-troduced by Suzy Hobbs, and was followed by a debate with the movie’s director, Rob-ert Stone.

The Fukushima Special Session, organized by Kenta Horio, provided the latest updates on the situation at Fukushima since the ac-cident. Presentations from Japanese ex-perts covered both onsite and offsite issues, including decommissioning, environmental restoration and regional revitalization. There were discussions on the challenges facing nuclear since the accident.

The 8th 2014 ENEN PhD Event Special Ses-sion was organized by the European Nucle-ar Education Network (ENEN), in coopera-tion with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. They organize this PhD Event every year to highlight and reward the work of excellent PhD students.

The technical programme finished on 11 July. It was by followed by a programme of full-day technical tours: Tour 1 — Heavy Com-ponents Factory (ENSA, Equipos Nucle-ares S. A.), Tour 2 — Fuel Assembly Factory (ENUSA Industrials Avanzadas S. A.), Tour 3 — Santa Maria de Garona NPP (Nuclenor

Pandora’s Promise, a groundbreaking new film about the myths and science behind nuclear energy


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S. A.), Tour 4 — Control Room Simulators (TECNATOM), Tour 5 — Decommissioning of a Nuclear Power Plant (Jose Cabrera — Zorita), Tour 6 — Fusion Laboratory (CIE-MAT). The technical tours provided a com-plete overview of the nuclear fuel cycle, from fuel assembly and components fabrication through operation to decommissioning and dismantling, as well as research centers and simulators for operators’ training.

The Social ProgrammeThe Social Events programme was very well organised. It was chaired by Silvia Ortega, and included following events: 6 July, even-ing — the Opening Reception in the FORUM Evolucion Congress Center; 7 July, even-ing — Portia Winery visit; 8 July, evening — a gastronomic tour in the Burgos center with a visit to the Cathedral; 10 July, even-ing — the Farewell dinner at the Coco Ata-puerca restaurant and 12 July — a visit to a Bullring — the CAPEA.

On 9 July, evening, the IYNC Board of Di-rectors meeting took place, during which the participants elected a new IYNC Presi-dent — Melissa Crawford. The country that

will host next conference, IYNC 2016, was also announced — China.

In my opinion, the International Youth Nu-clear Congress 2014 was a professional and social success, due to the sharing of knowl-edge and experience between the nuclear young generation, the opportunity that was exploited to learn from senior nuclear professionals, the communicating within a truly international environment, and the great possibilities that it offered to develop further networks.

But of course, there is still room for im-provement. Donald Hoffman, Immediate Past President of the American Nuclear Society, who spoke about leadership, re-minded us of the need to “Think Out-Of-The-Box”. I can tell that this nuclear young generation is willing to explore things that are out of their comfort zone and to do everything they can to achieve a creative breakthrough.

I would like to thank very much ENSYGN and the IYNC Committee for the oppor-tunity they gave me to participate in this congress. I wish IYNC2016 in China every success!


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IYNC2014 / day 1


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IYNC2014 / day 2


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IYNC2014 / day 3


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IYNC2014 / day 4


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IYNC2014 / day 5


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How do you see the future of the nuclear energy sector for young professionals?

The world’s need for energy will only con-tinue to grow in the coming years, and nuclear energy will continue to be an im-portant solution that is safe, clean and secure. Nuclear power plants worldwide continue to improve their performance, and new construction worldwide shows that nuclear power provides an attractive option for efficient base load electric generation. Today’s young professionals will be at the cutting edge - providing new solutions that improve and expand the nuclear energy sector at a faster pace than ever before. As today’s more experienced nuclear energy professionals retire from the work force, it

will be up to today’s young professionals to lead the next revolution in energy genera-tion, distribution and use.

Do you think it is important for young people to take leadership positions in the nuclear sector?

Today’s young professionals don’t have the luxury of spending the majority of their careers as followers. In some ways, the chal-lenges facing them parallel the challenges faced by the first generation of commercial nuclear energy professionals. Changing electricity demands, deregulation of energy markets and an increase in intermittent dis-tributed generation have put the environ-

Young Professionals To Lead Next Revolution

Donald Hoffman, outgoing president of the American Nu-clear Society (ANS), talks to IYNC about the future of nuclear energy and the place of young profession-als in the sector.

Text by Lubomir Mitev


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ment in which nuclear power plants operate in flux. The industry needs young profes-sionals to step up to ensure that the nuclear industry continues to operate safely and cost effectively as energy use and produc-tion needs evolve.

What is the most important lesson a young professional in the nuclear sector should learn?

There’s no doubt that today’s young profes-sionals, like the generations before them, will have to overcome challenges, but they’ll be well-served by three lessons in their ca-reers and in life:

1) Find the opportunity in each challenge - Over the course of your career, there will be many times when things just don’t work out the way that you hope they will. Each of those setbacks provide an opportunity to learn something new about your field and about yourself, or an opportunity to step up and lead your team to the solution.

2) The bridges you build keep you out of high water - While the word “networking” may conjure up visions of superficial con-tacts made at over-priced receptions, it is the strong relationships you build across the industry that will save you when you need a life raft. It’s much easier to make a bold decision when you know who’s going to help you deliver.

3) Value your mentors - In ten years, you’ll look back fondly on the mentors who helped you today. It may be an execu-tive who offered advice on winning over your supervisor or a technology guru who helped you understand why a procedure was written that way. Don’t forget to be that person for the next generation. It’s your responsibility, and will be your channel to new ideas and energy.

Today’s young professionals don’t have the luxury of spending the majority of their careers as followers

Biography: Donald Hoffman was the 59th president of the American Nu-clear Society. He founded EXCEL Services Corporation in 1985 to provide professional services to nuclear utilities in licensing and regulatory support and techni-cal specifications. Mr Hoffman is also president of the pro-nuclear organisation Eagle Alliance. Mr Hoffman served in the US Navy as a senior submarine reactor operator and engineering of-ficer, and as branch chief and lead reviewer at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.


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In the aftermath of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station in March 2011, we have seen a lot of effort and progress in response to the accident and numerous difficulties both in technical and societal aspects. YGN-Japan organ-ized a special session in IYNC2014 called “Three Years from the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Reality, Challenges and Future”, to provide the latest updates on the situation at Fukushima.

The area of Fukushima just after the acci-dent in March 2011. An earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant accident affected the land and the people. In many areas, the water and gas supply systems were not operational because of the earthquake. In many places, roads and houses were broken

and gas pipes caught fire from the dam-age of the tsunami. Many people were also evacuated when the nuclear power plant accident happened.

The photograph shows Iwaki city. It has a population of 300,000 people and it is lo-cated 30 kilemtres from the Fukushima-Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. About one-third of the inhabitants were evacuated but most reportedly returned in the weeks after the accident. Infrastructure had been restored and work had restarted. These people were living close to a nuclear power plant acci-dent site. They had to adapt to the situation and, for example, book stores started selling radiation metres.

Everyone who was living within a 20 kilo-metre radius from the nuclear plant was

Fukushima’s Agriculture After The 2011 Accident

Text by Hiroshi Kainum


20evacuated. This is still the case – the radius is called the “caution area” and used to be the home of about 80,000 people. From 2012 onwards, the caution area was divided into three parts:

1) The area where it would be difficult to return

2) The area where residence is limited

3) The area where preparations are under-way to remove the evacuation order

No one is allowed to enter any of the areas at night. Areas 1 and 2 are off limits except if you have special permission. The third area is where workers are allowed to enter and work during the day. It is expected that the evacuation order will be removed in the coming years. For example, in the town of Naraha, this will take place in the spring of 2015 and in Minamisoma city in 2016. At that time, the residents will be permitted to move back into their homes.

A lot of people from all over the world think that the problem of reconstruction and clean-up at Fukushima is complicated and hard to understand. The Japanese people also think so and in recent times we have noticed that the Japanese have started to forget that the clean-up is going on.

So, how many people were displaced by the Fukushima accident? Out of the 2 million inhabitants of Fukushima prefecture, ap-proximately 45,000 were evacuated – this is about 2.5%. However, the effort to return people to their homes is ongoing. But, in Japan, many people have the wrong per-ception about the situation. According to an opinion survey I conducted in March 2014, eight out of ten people had the wrong idea about the situation in Fukushima. So, the reconstruction of Fukushima is faced with a problem of having a more negative image than it actually is.

Foreigners may misunderstand the situation even more. Many people think that no one can live in Fukushima but at the moment there are a lot of people who live there. Even

the Japanese people have this incorrect per-ception, so it is very difficult to change it.

The evacuation of the people from Fuku-shima prefecture is an often misunderstood topic. The facts are that there were initially 60,000 people evacuated but they are 45,000 now. After speaking to evacuees since 2011, they have expressed very clearly what the problems are. They say that most young people have left and the labour market is unstable. They also say that agri-culture and fishery are unstable. Hospitals are overcrowded and the healthcare system is not working properly. However, these problems were not caused by the accident – many of them existed before and they can be found in other areas of Japan as well as in other developed countries. These are common problems.

There are two important lessons that have to be taken into account here. First, many of the issues plaguing Fukushima prefecture now are problems which existed before the accident. For example, a declining popula-tion due to emigration, an ageing popula-tion, decline of existing industries, and the collapse of the medical and welfare system. The accident exacerbated these problems and resulted in severe damage to the area.

Second, a fear of science and politics has caused a lot of direct and indirect damage.

A lot of people think that the problem of reconstruction and clean-up at Fukushima is complicated and hard to understand


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Radiation is a problem that is hard to see and difficult to understand. We believe that if you want to understand the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, you really have to think about it. For example, isola-tion is a very big problem. People who live outside the prefecture are very afraid of ra-diation. In interviews and investigations into such fears, we often find that people re-fused to eat fish after the accident. We tell them that all the fish cannot be contaminat-ed and that Japan imports fish from South America and other parts of the world. After all, Japan imports more than half of its food from abroad. But they do not accept such arguments. Some even answer that they do not consume this type of food because “all the seas are connected”.

Awareness of radiation is a complicated subject. People distrust scientists and the government. The memory of the accident and the evacuation has caused a trauma. The mass media’s sensational coverage of the risks associated with the Fukushima accident has not helped. Indeed, it has in-

creased the uneasiness about the issue. Any and all possible explanations are drowned out by the thought of “it must be danger-ous”.

The situation is even more complicated be-cause there is a difference in the perception and consciousness among the evacuees. A non-governmental organization in sup-port of the evacuees produced a booklet to help them understand radiation and radio-activity. The response of some people was favourable towards this effort, but others said the booklet was dangerous because it emphasized that radiation is safe.

People also think that they have already suffered enough. What the government calls “disaster-related deaths” is the num-ber of people who died from physical and mental fatigue and were driven to suicide. In Fukushima, the number of people under this category has reached 1,660. Of these, 80% were residents of the 11 municipalities which were in the evacuated area. How-ever, another statistic to consider is that the direct casualties as a result of the tsu-


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nami and earthquake is 1,607 in Fukushima prefecture alone. This means that there are slightly more indirect deaths than direct ones. The change in living environment is another factor because an evacuation caus-es a lot of physical and mental stress and develops trauma. In elderly people, this can lead to death. Some young people might be able to cope with the trauma, their physical and mental health deteriorates.

This is not to say that evacuation was un-necessary. Some people feel strongly that their worries about the spread of radiation makes it important for them to evacuate. There are even those who argue that more people should have been evacuated but we have to be aware of the harmful effects of unnecessary evacuation.

So what has the impact on the agricultural sector been? In Japan, the legal standard for radiation is 100 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg). In Fukushima prefecture, approxi-mately 10 million bags of rice are produced every year. In 2012, 71 bags exceeded the legal limit.

Some people eat the rice and vegetables produced in Fukushima and they say they support the reconstruction of the prefec-ture. However, there are also the people who will avoid this food at all costs. This is the difference between the two states of mind in Japan on this issue. There is not much radiation spread around the land but there are harmful rumours. The agricultural produces and the administration do their best to get rid of such rumours by con-ducting severe testing and disclosing all information. There are also very frequent commercials on television and in the news-papers about Fukushima’s agriculture.

Further, how did Fukushima’s rice produc-tion change after the accident? Japan has 47 prefectures and before the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accidents, Fukushima ranked fourth in terms of rice production. For the three years after the accident, it has occupied seventh place. Rice is the staple food of Japan and Fukushima prefecture is an important production centre. Also, other vegetables and fruit produced in Fukushima


23continue to be exported and consumed but less than before.

There are two aspects in the background of the decline. One is a decline in produc-ers – after the nuclear plant accident, some people stopped working in the agriculture sector. One of the reasons for this is the perception that the land is polluted by radioactive material. However, when you speak to the farmers, you will find out that there are many structural problems which existed before the accident – inefficiency of production, ageing of farmers, increases in cheaper imported products. All of these mean that farmers cannot receive enough profit from only through agriculture forc-ing the majority of these people to work a second job. After the accident, these issues were exacerbated even though there is the possibility to receive compensation from TEPCO.

Another reason is the decline of prices. Ac-cording to various investigations, around 20% of the Japanese people refuse to con-sume products which are labelled as “pro-duced in Fukushima”. Taking into account that production declined slightly but de-mand fell sharply, the price also decreased. Products from Fukushima still circulate in the market, for example in restaurants or in processed foods which actually benefit from how cheap the products are.

In the fisheries sector, there were nega-tive effects as well. It was not possible to

fish at the shores of Fukushima for some time because the 40 types of fish which are found there were tested and high radia-tion was detected many times. However, after continuous testing, the radiation levels have dropped and it is safe to begin fishing again.

Furthermore, the tourism sector was also affected. By now, 80% of the tourist activ-ity in Fukushima has been restored. In 2010, around 57 million tourists visited Fukushi-ma. In 2011, this decreased to 35 million, but in 2012 it was 44 million. A similar correla-tion is seen at the number of people that used Fukushima airport.

These numbers are also due to the work of the government and public relations – famous sightseeing spots are introduced to the media. For example, a spa resort in Iwaki city showed increased visitation from tourists after the accident because the me-dia reported on its restoration and renova-tion.

While there are harmful rumours circulat-ing, there are good effects as a result of the accident as well. Many bars, restaurants and supermarkets participate in the “Tohoku re-construction support” scheme. Even in the big cities like Tokyo, these places sell prod-ucts “Produced in Fukushima” with a posi-tive light. Some businesses even report that sales had grown to levels higher than those before the accident.


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An overview of the latest news and the history of Ukraine’s nuclear power pro-gramme – all you need to know about commercial nuclear energy in the East European country.

Ukraine has 15 nuclear power units at 4 nuclear power plants (Rivne, Khmelnitskiy, South-Ukraine and Zaporozhye) which are operated by NNEGC “Energoatom”, the country’s nuclear power utility. Following the addition of two new VVER-1000 reac-tors in 2005, capacity increased to 13.8 gigawatts which equates to about 27% of the country’s total installed capacity. All units are Russian VVER types, two being 440 MW (at Rivne) and the rest are 1000 MW units.

Ukraine also has four RBMK nuclear reactors located at Chernobyl. They are all perma-nently shut down and are undergoing de-commissioning, leaving only the much safer VVER reactors operating in the country.

Nuclear power plants provided 46% of Ukraine’s electricity in 2010. The govern-ment adopted a new energy strategy in 2006 which foresees the share of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix to remain at about 50 percent until 2030. According to projections of electricity demand growth, and taking into account the planned de-commissioning of six power reactors in the late 2020s, meeting this target will require the construction of nine replacement reac-tors and 11 new units; 20 units in total. How-

Country Report — Ukraine

Nuclear Reactors in Ukraine


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ever, these plans have so far been unsuc-cessful, largely due to economic factors.

Energoatom experts are also working on lifetime extension of Ukrainian nuclear pow-er units. In 2010, the first successful lifetime extension was completed which extended the operation of Rivne-1 and -2 by 20 years. The acquired experience is now being uti-lized by Energoatom in its efforts on life-time extension projects for power units 1 and 2 of South-Ukraine power station and units 1 and 2 at the Zaporozhye station.

The 2006 strategy envisaged complet-ing Khmelnitskiy -3 and -4, which were 75% and 28% complete respectively, when work stopped in 1990. The government announced in September 2008 that con-struction on these would resume in 2010 for completion in 2016 and 2017. An inter-governmental agreement with Russia on completing the two units was signed in mid-2010 and a contract with the Russian com-pany Atomstroyexport was signed in Feb-ruary 2011. Ukraine intended to sign a loan agreement for the two units in late 2012 and resume construction soon after. However, at the end of 2013, the government said con-struction might resume in 2015.

Due to the current state of Russia-Ukraine relations, it cannot be expected to achieve these goals. In this regard, “Energoatom” is currently holding consultations with poten-tial participants of this project. A 2013 report by the Polish Institute of International Affairs concluded that Ukraine will lean towards the development of “intensive cooperation” with Western nuclear regulators and companies as it seeks to increase its control over the sector and reduce its dependency on Russia.

In December 2005, Energoatom signed an agreement with the US-based Holtec Inter-national to implement a project for the cen-tralised storage of spent fuel for Ukraine’s VVER reactors. In April 2014, the govern-ment decided to allocate 45.2 hectares of land in the Chernobyl exclusion zone for the construction the facility, which will hold up to 17,000 spent nuclear fuel elements from three nuclear power stations: Khmelnitski, Rovno and South Ukraine. The Zaporozhye nuclear station has its own dry spent fuel storage facility, commissioned in 2001. Con-struction started in August 2014.

In September 2010, Russian nuclear fuel company TVEL and Westinghouse both bid to build a fuel fabrication plant in Ukraine


26and TVEL was selected. The Ukrainian state-owned company “Nuclear Fuel” signed an agreement with TVEL for a 50-50 joint ven-ture to build a plant to manufacture VVER-1000 fuel assemblies. Preparatory work has been undertaken for the site selected at Smolino, Kirovograd region, 300 km south-east of Kiev. It will produce about 400 fuel assemblies (200 tU) per year, but with even-tual capacity of 800 assemblies per year.

Currently, Ukrainian uranium concentrate and zirconium alloy are exported to Rus-sia for fuel fabrication. The nuclear fuel produced by TVEL from these Ukrainian resources is then returned to be used in Ukrainian nuclear power plants. The coun-try depends primarily on Russia to provide other nuclear fuel cycle services also, nota-bly enrichment.

In order to diversify nuclear fuel supplies, Energoatom started implementation of the Ukraine Nuclear Fuel Qualification Project (UNFQP) for VVER-1000 fuel. The project introduced the use of Westinghouse-man-ufactured fuel for VVER-1000 reactors. In 2005, South Ukraine’s third unit was the country’s first to use the six test assemblies supplied by Westinghouse, which were placed into the reactor core together with Russian fuel for a pilot period. A reload batch of 42 fuel assemblies was provided by Westinghouse in mid-2009 for a three-year commercial operation period with regular monitoring and reporting.

The project aims not only to have West-inghouse supply fuel to VVER reactors, but also to achieve a technology transfer for the design of nuclear fuel. Until this project was initiated, the only company with the possibility of producing VVER reactor fuel was TVEL. In total, Westinghouse supplied 630 fuel assemblies for South Ukraine units 2 and 3, as well as Zaporozhe-5. However, some of the trials were deemed unsuccess-ful, with Energoatom claiming that manu-facturing defects in the fuel led to a lengthy unscheduled outage at two of the units.

Westinghouse said that errors had actually been made during fuel loading.

Although Energoatom signed a long-term fuel supply contract with TVEL for all 15 reactors in 2010, following the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, Ukraine ex-tended its contract with Westinghouse for fuel supply to 2020. This fuel will be fabri-cated at the Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB plant at Vasteras in Sweden. Westing-house also announced in October 2014 that it will provide hydrogen recombiners for Zaporozhye-1 and -2.

In June 2014 the energy ministry said that a new concept for the development of nuclear power is expected to be adopted before the end of the year and will include the technical and financial aspects of the construction of new power units, as well as advancing plans for a fuel fabrication plant and a waste repository. In July, the cabinet reviewed the situation, affirmed the priority of nuclear power, and said that a western-design reactor might be built at the South Ukraine or Zaporozhye site, both of which have easy access to the Black Sea for the delivery of large equipment.

YGN Activities

The UkrNS YGN was founded in 1994 as a section of the Ukrainian Nuclear Society. The main activities of the Ukrainian YGN are following:

• knowledge transfer and experience ex-change (lections, seminars, conferences, forums, competitions, students meetings)

• technical visits (NPP visits, Chernobyl visits, nuclear related facilities and institu-tions visits)

• communication (popularization and positive nuclear image in regional media through round tables, newspapers & infor-mation booklets, TV programs, regional internet centers)

• international relationships (mainly through ENS YG Network and IYNC)


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An overview of the latest news and the history of Argentina’s nuclear power pro-gramme – all you need to know about commercial nuclear energy in the South American country.

Argentina has two commercial nuclear power plants in operation on its territory: Atucha and Embalse. Atucha has two com-mercially operational nuclear reactors and Embalse is a single-unit station.

Atucha is near the town of Lima, Buenos Aires province, approximately 100 km from the capital Buenos Aires. Atucha-1 has been commercially operational since 1974 and was the first nuclear power plant in South America. Atucha-2 achieved first criticality in the beginning of June 2014. At the end of October 2014, Atucha-2 was operating at 75 percent capacity.

Atucha-2 started construction since 1981, but progressed slowly with nearly no work

being done after 1985 until it was officially suspended in 1994 due to lack of funds. The project was revived in 2006, when the gov-ernment, notably its minister of planning, public investment and services, Julio Miguel de Vido, said the completion of the unit was a priority, with test-starting beginning in September 2011.

Embalse is near the town of Embalse, Cór-doba province, on the shore of a reservoir on the Rio Tercero river. It has one commercially operational reactor which started up in 1984. The refurbishment of the Embalse nuclear plant was announced in 2011 when Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) signed a formal agreement with the operator NA-SA. The required upgrades to extend the lifetime of the plant are estimated to cost 440 mil-lion US dollars (USD) (334 million euros). In 2013, the Development Bank of Latin America announced it would loan NA-SA the amount of USD 240 million for the project.

Country Report — Argentina


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Proposals for new nuclear units resulted in a law passed by Congress in November 2009 for the construction of Atucha-3. The new unit will be downstream of Atucha-1 and -2 and a contract was signed with AECL for the project. However, due to the privatisation of AECL’s reactor division in 2011, the agreement was receded and the tender opened to other suppliers. In June 2013, planning minister Julio de Vido con-firmed that the government remains com-mitted to building a fourth and fifth reactor in Argentina

The central government has said that it is going to continue with its nuclear develop-ment plan, even after the accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant. With the completion of its third nuclear unit, Atu-cha-2, the discussion now surrounds the construction of two new plant units by 2017 and 2020, each composing of one or two reactors.

On 27 June 2013, Mr de Vido said that the country’s nuclear energy programme will be expanded to meet the needs of a grow-ing economy and population. Argentina “will continue its commitment to build a fourth and fifth nuclear reactor,” Mr de Vido said in a speech. He said five reac-

tors could meet 15 to 18 percent of na-tional energy consumption. This is needed due to high economic growth (CIA World Factbook reports 9.2 percent real GDP growth in 2010, 8.9 percent in 2011 and 1.9 percent in 2012) and an accompanying increase in electricity demand of approxi-mately 60 percent since 2003.

Mr de Vido said the Argentine nuclear programme has a budget of USD 42 billion until 2023. Fifteen percent (USD 4 billion) of this has already been used, some of it for the completion of Atucha-2.

In July 2014, an agreement was signed between the governments of Argentina and Russia which could lead to the construc-tion of two new units in the country. Rus-sia’s energy minister, Alexander Novak, said Russian state atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, had made an offer to tender for the construction of two new nuclear power units in Argentina.

In September 2014, another bilateral agree-ment was signed between Argentina and China which could see the Asian nation invest up to USD 6 billion (EUR 4.8 billion) in a new unit at the Atucha nuclear station. Argentina’s planning ministry said at the time that the technology to be used is a CANDU-6 pressurized heavy water reactor with 800 megawatts of electrical output. Early in 2015, China and Argentina hope to sign detailed contracts that will specify fur-ther details, including financing, of the unit.

Plans also include the development of a new reactor design called Carem, a 25-meg-awatt power reactor which incorporates the primary and part of the secondary cooling loops integrated into the reactor pressure vessel, which is self-pressurised and relies entirely on convection. Carem is under con-struction on a site near Atucha-1 and -2 and is expected to be completed by 2016.

Argentina Energy Mix (2013)

Coal0,83%

Nuclear1,65%

Renewables0,83%

Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2013

Hydro10,87%

Oil34,75%

Natural Gas51,06%


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YGN ActivitiesThe second annual Nuclear Youth Sum-mit (NYS) was held in Jakarta, Indonesia for three days from 22-24 November 2014. Over 150 participants attended from seven countries around South-East Asia. As a results, representatives from each country agreed in-principle to establish a regional nuclear network.

The conference was organised by Kommun, Indonesia’s network for students in nuclear science and technology. As such the major-ity of conference attendees were university students. Kommun has a membership of nearly 400 students. The major sponsor for the conference was BATAN, Indonesia’s national nuclear energy agency. BATAN’s sponsorship covered the cost of food and accommodation for the international par-ticipants.

Day 1: General lectures by nuclear industry professionals

Day 2: Country reports and Q&A with repre-sentatives from each country

Day 3: A tour of the Serpong Nuclear Com-plex, including a visit to the 30 MW Si-wabessy MTR-type research reactor

Seven countries were represented at NYS 2014:

• Australia • Bangladesh • Indonesia • Malaysia • Philippines • Thailand • Vietnam

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technol-ogy Organisation (ANSTO) sent three em-ployees to represent Australia at NYS 2014.

Country Report — Australia

J. Hardiman and T. Rownes at Serpong Nuclear Complex


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Outcomes Promotion of IYNC

The summit agenda included a private meeting between representatives of each country. Australia promoted IYNC, focusing on the resources available to start a Young Generation Network in each country. In addition, Australia suggested participants attend IYNC 2016 in Hangzhou.

Regional Nuclear Network

Representatives from all countries agreed in-principle to establish a regional youth-nuclear network. Such a network would im-

prove knowledge transfer and promote the benefits of nuclear science and technology. Participants agreed that the network should include more-established nuclear nations such as China, Japan and Korea.

Conclusion

NYS 2014 was an excellent opportunity for sharing information on nuclear science and technology between young people in the region.

Australian Young Generation in Nuclear is grateful to ANSTO and BATAN for their support in attending NYS 2014.

Indonesian representatives at NYS 2014

C. Kelleher and J. Hardiman representing Australia at NYS 2014

International Youth Nuclear Congress2016

IYNC2016 will be held in Hangzhou, China and will bring together more than 700 young and senior professionals, students and academia. During one week, IYNC2016 will feature plenary sessions, interactive workshops, technical tracks, a large variety of technical tours and networking activities. In the spirit of a volunteer organization, we are seeking corporate and organizational sponsors and exhibitors who believe in the future of the nuclear industry and in the potential of the next generation.

For More Information Contact:

IYNC2016 General Co-Chairs:

Melissa Crawford: [email protected]

SONG Daiyong: [email protected] Sponsorship:

Nicolas Anciaux: [email protected]

TAN Ke: [email protected]

Co-Hosted by the Chinese Nuclear Society Young Generation Network

21ST UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGEPARIS 2015 - COP 21

France would like to establish an agreement that is binding,applicable to all and ambitious enough to limit global warming to 2°C.In this frame, nuclear societies and nuclear industrial forums from allover the world launch the #Nuclear4Climate initiative

#Nuclear4Climate is a common initiative shared by

@Nuclear4Climate

Join the team !

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@WECNuclearWestinghouseElectric Company

BUILDING AN AFFORDABLELOW-CARBON FUTUREFOR EUROPE

The nuclear energy sector is proud to be a provider of sustainable, safe and affordable electricity required to meet Europe’s low-carbon and energy security objectives.

Westinghouse recently announced the Moorside project in the U.K., which includes the construction of three Westinghouse AP1000® nuclear reactors and will create up to 21,000 jobs and deliver about 7% of the U.K.’s projected electricity requirements.

Westinghouse has a long history of constructing and servicing nuclear power plants—more than 50% of Europe’s operating sites are based on Westinghouse technology.

For more information, visit us at www.westinghousenuclear.com

IYNC Report

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