A REGIONAL WEB SITE FOR NUCLEAR TRANSPARENCY IN THE ASIA PACIFIC

The increased peaceful use of nuclear energy in the Asia Pacific brings with it safety and nonproliferation concerns. To address these concerns, the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP), a nongovernmental, multilateral organization, is building a web site, “Nuclear Transparency in the Asia Pacific” (www.cscap.nuctrans.org), that links existing transparency measures across the Asia Pacific region and encourages further transparency. The web site contains overviews of the regional civilian nuclear industries, as well as technologies that are available to support transparency measures. Many of these technologies were originally developed for safeguards purposes, such as remote monitoring and containment and surveillance systems. Specific transparency data in the web site emphasizes near-real-time airborne radiation data, which helps address public acceptance and safety issues. This web site is the first multilateral, near-real-time display for such data. A database collection procedure is described and each case is handled differently, based on the respective institutional policies. Over the long term, the project aims to integrate transparency measures into plans that deal with problems posed by the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, addressing both safety and nonproliferation issues. In addition, the web site has some novel transparency techniques such as a “virtual tour” of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Various research, regulatory, and operating institutions in Japan, South Korea, China, Russia, Taiwan, Australia, Canada, India, and the U.S. participate on a voluntary basis, consistent with their respective public information policies. By providing a single access point to data across the region, the CSCAP web site increases the utility of many hard-to-find institutional pages, which is especially important for pages written in different languages. This effort does not promote or discourage the use of nuclear energy, but aims to help ensure its safe, transparent use among those who choose to employ nuclear power to help satisfy their energy requirements.