Raising accredited security professionals ‘essential’

 Korea needs to foster more sufficiently accredited nuclear security professionals to stand out as a reactor exporter in an expanding global atomic power plant market, Roger Howsley, president of the World Institute for Nuclear Security, said on Friday.

The British expert on nuclear security said exporting of nuclear power plants should come with safety management for the reactor post-construction.

“I think it’s essential to have accredited professionals for safety and emergency management. Raising such professionals will advance competency of Korean players in the global stage,” Howsley told The Korea Herald in an interview held as part of the 2012 Nuclear Industry Summit.

“You need it to run nuclear reactors, because managing a security incident is complicated, the investigation process post-crisis always comes down to who built the thing, and how qualified the builder was,” he said.

Roger Howsley, executive director of the World Institute for Nuclear Security

Representing WINS, the world’s best-known best practice guide on nuclear security management, Howsley said Korea is on track to rival advanced nations in exporting atomic power plants. He said efforts to boost exports should be accompanied by long-term goals such as raising safety experts and a transparent communication system to manage anti-nuclear activists.

“What Korea also needs is building public confidence on nuclear safety. The industry and the regulator need to promote and publicize their project and take the ownership of the security issue,” he said.

The Korean government proclaimed it aims to achieve exports of 80 nuclear power reactors worth $400 billion by 2030 following its sale of four nuclear reactors to the United Arab Emirates in December 2009. Korea currently is bidding to land nuclear plant projects in Turkey, Finland, Vietnam and Jordan.


By Cynthia J. Kim
(cynthiak@heraldcorp.com)