The National Academies’ Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board will discuss topics including the consequences of attacks on nuclear plants, during a two-day meeting starting May 15 in Washington, D.C.
“The military threats to Ukrainian nuclear power plants as well as the Chernobyl shelter have raised renewed concerns about the vulnerability of these systems,” according to a preview of the board’s upcoming 46th meeting. “However, these are not new threats.”
The board will hear from representatives of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, Greenpeace Ukraine and Eclectic Technology on the risk posed by reactor attacks.
In addition, the board will be updated on advancements and limitations in low-dose radiation research.
There will also be sessions on training for cleanup workers at Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management sites. The Friday May 16 session will focus on a South Korean proposal for an easier-to-understand radiation risk index for the public.
A branch of the National Academies of Science, the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board will meet in-person at the Keck Center in Washington, D.C. Virtual and in-person registration details are available at the board’s website.
The mission of the board is to “provide an open forum for discussion, and organize and oversee studies on safety, security, technical efficacy, and other policy and societal issues arising from the application of nuclear and radiation-based technologies.” The board website currently lists 18 members plus director Charles Ferguson.
In a recent hearing featuring testimony from the nominee for the principal deputy administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration, Vice Admiral Scott Pappano, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) stressed how important she thought it was for the U.S. and its nuclear agencies to protect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest power plant in Europe and a plant under Russian occupation.
“Since the invasion of Ukraine, this committee has supported the National Nuclear Security Administration’s cooperation with Ukraine by monitoring Russian occupied powerplants in Ukraine and training the Ukrainians to detect radiation releases,” Shaheen said. She added that cooperation is important “particularly as we look at Russian attacks” on Zaporizhzhia in particular.
