NRC, Great Britain Renew Nuclear Safety Cooperation Agreement
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Dale E. Klein and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations and Director of the Nuclear Directorate, Health and Safety Executive of the Great Britain Michael Weightman signed an agreement March 13 that renews cooperation between the two countries for exchange of technical information and cooperation in the development of safety standards.
The five-year agreement is for cooperation in technical areas that include operating reactors, new reactors, nuclear waste management, radioactive material safety and safeguards, physical security, nuclear safety research, and emergency preparedness and response. It provides the legal basis for the two government agencies to cooperate in the exchange of personnel, information and training. The original agreement was signed in 1975 and has been extended several times for five-year periods since then.
The NRC has similar arrangements with 36 other countries that allow sharing of information that would otherwise be unavailable to a foreign government. Such agreements define the expectations of both parties with respect to sharing of information and personnel. They are a key part of NRC's efforts to ensure the safety and security of the American public and contribute to an overall increase in nuclear safety internationally.