Two Internet sites offer information about Soviet-designed nuclear power plants.

The first describes U.S. efforts to reduce risks at Soviet-designed nuclear power plants. The United States is working with nine partnering countries--Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Kazakhstan--to install safety equipment, improve procedures, establish training centers, and address the extraordinary problems at Chornobyl. The address is

Information and photographs of international nuclear safety activities are posted in this U.S. Department of Energy web site.

The Internet site provides

• descriptions of the cooperative safety projects and technologies

• progress reports

• a review of nuclear safety issues in each of the host countries

• detailed information about safety work at Chornobyl, Ukraine, including the International Shelter Project and the International Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology

• profiles of Soviet reactor designs, with analyses of their strengths and the deficiencies that could lead to nuclear accidents

• photographs showing Soviet-designed reactors, safety equipment, plant personnel, surrounding communities in the host countries, and conditions inside the ruined Unit 4 at Chornobyl

• maps of reactor locations in each country with links to reactor profiles

• a bibliography of International Nuclear Safety Program technical documents available by request

• a list of participating organizations and contractors

• names and phone numbers of personnel contacts in the United States and host countries

• links to Internet sites with related information, such as the home pages of the Nuclear Energy Agency, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the International Nuclear Safety Center Database at Argonne National Laboratory.

The second Internet site provides access to the International Nuclear Safety Center's database for safety and risk analysis of nuclear facilities. The address is

The database serves two purposes--to provide easy access to information about world nuclear facilities and to create an electronic format for safety research collaboration among U.S. and international specialists. The International Nuclear Safety Center and its database are managed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory.

The INSC site provides information for three types of users:

• Persons interested in general nuclear safety information. This information, which is publicly available from other sources, is provided here in a convenient, central location. Included are narratives on the facilities' histories, noting events that involved safety hazards, along with locations, design types, addresses, personnel contacts, designers, and major suppliers. A map of the world's nuclear power plants includes links to reactor profiles. Also available is a bibliography for further research and links to Internet sites with related information.

• U.S. government and military personnel involved in nuclear-related work

• U.S. and international personnel authorized to conduct specific safety projects--They also can use shared electronic workspaces to perform nuclear safety analyses and risk assessments, to collaborate on computer code development and validation, and to interpret safety experiments.

The database is expanded and updated continuously. Much of the current information focuses on Soviet-designed nuclear power plants in Russia, Ukraine, central and eastern Europe, Armenia, and Kazakhstan, and reactor types in India, China, and the Philippines. More extensive data for other facilities will be added as the United States and its international partners agree on the scope of collaborative research.