Speaker: Dan Giessing; Deputy Associate Director for International Nuclear Safety; Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology; U.S. Department of Energy

3.1 FY 1997 (Current) Budget for Improving the Safety of Soviet-Designed Nuclear Power Plants ⁽⁾

At the time of the last Contractor Information Exchange in May 1996, the U.S. Department of Energy had requested $66 million for the FY 1997 budget for this work. The amount Congress appropriated was $45 million.

Several projects continue from FY 1996. For example, the training programs in Russia and Ukraine have established pilot plant sites; however, participants now are transferring training methods from the pilot plants to the other sites. Other continuing projects of note are safety parameter display systems, in-plant safety analyses, and U.S./Russia nuclear safety centers.

Key new projects under way in FY 1997 include training simulators, equipment reliability database work in Russia and Ukraine, event analysis and reporting, and nondestructive evaluation. In FY 1997, there also is a strong emphasis on plant safety assessments at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya, Khmelnytskyy, and South Ukraine plants and Russia's Kursk, Kola, and Novovoronezh plants. In addition, two new projects with Armenia are planned for FY 1997: an alternate decay heat removal system and an emergency feedwater system. FY 1996 work with Armenia involved fire safety.

The funding needed for these new and continuing projects in FY 1997 totals $81 million. The U.S. Department of Energy expects to make up the shortfall between the appropriated $45 million and the needed $81 million by receiving additional funding from other sources later this year. One source is the U.S. Agency for International Development. Through the Foreign Operations budget, $35 million was designated specifically for work with Ukraine for safety parameter display systems, safety analysis, training simulators, and plant safety assessments. Another $6 million was designated through the Foreign Operations budget for work with Armenia.

In FY 1994 and 1995, much of the work focused on projects in Russia. This is balanced somewhat by the FY 1997 budget allocation, which contains a substantial portion for Ukraine because of the designated $35 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The other country receiving more funding emphasis this year is Armenia. Armenia restarted one of its reactors in 1995 after it was shut down in early 1989 following an earthquake in December 1988. Government and plant officials have made commitments to work with the United States and other countries to improve safety there.

The U.S. Department of Energy has received an additional $27 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development for work at Chornobyl. This work is in cooperation with Ukraine and the European Commission to develop a plan for short- and long-term measures to stabilize the deteriorating shelter surrounding the damaged Unit 4 Chornobyl reactor. In addition, several bilateral projects are under way to improve the safety of conditions inside the shelter. These shelter upgrade projects are budgeted at about $10 million for this fiscal year.

As part of the $27 million, the State Department has designated $6 million for replacement or upgrade of the heat plant supporting the Chornobyl reactors. $1 million is designated for developing deactivation plans for Chornobyl reactor Units 1 and 2. The budget also includes projects at the Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, which continues into FY 1998.

3.2 Proposed FY 1998 Budget

The U.S. Department of Energy has requested $50 million from Congress for FY 1998 for improving the safety of Soviet-designed nuclear power plants. This work does not include funding specifically designated for Chornobyl projects; potential funding sources for Chornobyl work are under discussion.

The $50 million represents essentially a continuing level of funding from FY 1997. Most of the funding is for projects that are continuing from previous years. This is partly because the U.S. Department of Energy does not budget the complete funding for continuing projects in the year in which the projects begin. Instead, the amount of money planned to be spent on a continuing project is allotted for each year. This approach optimizes budget management by minimizing the amount of funding carried over to the following year.

Several pilot startup projects are being undertaken in FY 1997. These include projects in configuration management, quality assurance, and instrumentation and control. If Congress approves the requested funding, these projects will be ready for full implementation in FY 1998. Additional work in FY 1998 is planned with countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Armenia.

After the President's budget is submitted, the U.S. Department of Energy can begin discussing the details of its proposed budget with Congress. Two of the most significant questions Congress repeatedly asks are 1) how do we know whether we are meeting our objectives, and 2) how do we know when the program is going to end. This year, the U.S. Department of Energy is in a better position to address those questions because we have developed a robust strategy and vision for the nuclear safety work, including a phased budget and specific end points for the technical work. As always, it is important to present the work each year in such a way that people understand that the objectives are being achieved and that U.S. interests are being served. In addition, Ambassador Morningstar from the U.S. State Department, the overall coordinator for assistance to the New Independent States, has been very supportive in working with the U.S. Department of Energy to present the work to Congress.

Doug Todd, Battelle's Manager of Government Relations in Washington, D.C., holds meetings with contractors involved with the U.S. Department of Energy's international nuclear safety work every two to four weeks during the legislative season. During these discussions, participants can learn about the status of legislation impacting the work, as well as keep abreast of the budget process. Contractors wishing to participate in these meetings should contact Doug Todd by phone at (202) 646-7860, by fax at (202) 646-5271, or by e-mail at toddmd@battelle.org.