Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
come to understand that that it was not the reactors but
the regulators that had failed. Today many countries with
no previous experience with nuclear matters are inter-
ested in developing nuclear power. Something needs to
be done to help such countries create effective regulatory
systems.
After the Three Mile Island accident in the United
States, the nuclear energy industry set up the Institute of
Nuclear Power Operations (INPO). Its mission as
described on its website (
www.inpo.info
) is to promote
the highest levels of safety and reliability at all of the
commercial nuclear reactors in the United States.
It inspects operations, training, safety systems, etc. at the
reactors of its members and its programs have led to
the improvement in reactor up-time mentioned in this
chapter. Its power in the nuclear industry comes from its
success in getting more electricity out of the reactors. The
industry recognizes that INPO bene
ts them, and acts
when INPO says there is a problem.
An organization called the World Association of
Nuclear Operators (WANO) aims to do the same thing
worldwide. However, it is strictly advisory, whereas
INPO has real power to inspect and report. It would
bene
t everyone if a recognized international organiza-
tion had real inspection power. A possibility is to expand
the responsibility (and the budget) of the International
Atomic Energy Agency beyond its current mission of
monitoring countries to limit the proliferation of nuclear
weapons, to include inspection and reporting on the safe
operations of commercial nuclear power plants. If it had
such authority by a rati
ed treaty, it could greatly reduce
