What is the Asian Nuclear Safety Network (ANSN)?

Overview of ANSN

Overview of ANSN (.ppt)

Knowledge Network for Global Nuclear Safety Regime

Nuclear safety is a global issue. There are many instruments for achieving high level of nuclear safety on a global basis, such as nuclear-safety-related conventions, IAEA safety standards, safety review services provided by the IAEA.

In addition to such international instruments, knowledge networking plays an important role in establishing and enhancing national and regional nuclear safety infrastructures that consist of the elements such as safety regulation, operational safety, research activities and education & training of staffs involved in nuclear safety. Self-sustaining knowledge networking is expected to be a useful tool for sharing nuclear safety information and experience and eventually for achieving high level of nuclear safety.

Objectives of the ANSN

The Asian Nuclear Safety Network (ANSN) was launched in 2002 to pool, analyse and share nuclear safety information, existing and new knowledge and practical experience among the countries. Moreover, the ANSN is expected to be a platform for facilitating sustainable regional cooperation and for creating human networks and cyber communities among the specialists of those countries. Development of a regional capacity building system composed of knowledge network, regional cooperation and human networks will serve for enhancement of nuclear safety infrastructures in the participating countries, and will serve eventually for ensuring and raising the safety levels of nuclear installations in the region. The ANSN has recently expanded to become a forum for broader safety strategy among countries in the region.

The current participating countries are Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Australia, France, Germany and the USA are ANSN supporting countries. Pakistan is an associate country in activities related to the safety of nuclear power plants and/or strengthening their regulatory frameworks.

Human Network

Nuclear Safety Strategy Dialogue among senior officials had three meetings from 2008 and 2010 to discuss broader safety strategy and provide basic direction to the Steering Committee. The NSSD made significant achievements, including setting up the ANSN Vision 2020 in 2009 and the Generic Action Plan for establishing the Regional Capacity Building System in Asia in 2010 as a roadmap to implement this vision. In November 2011, the ANSN agreed to establish its Plenary as the replacement of the NSSD, in order to ensure high level commitment from ANSN Member States

Under the Steering Committee composed of the representatives from the Asian and supporting countries and the IAEA, Topical Groups are working in specific thematic areas as forums to promote the ANSN at the forefront through holding specialists meetings, selecting documents to be shared, finding workable solutions to emerging issues and exchanging their experiences in respective areas.

In addition, an Information Technology (IT) Support Group provides IT support to the ANSN and develops technical solutions to meet users’ requirements

IT Network

The ANSN has also established a centralized autonomous network system with the support of national centres which include the ANSN member countries and supporting countries: Austria, Bangladesh, France, China, Germany, Kazakhstan, Japan and Rep. of Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, USA and Vietnam and two countries as observers: Pakistan as an associate member. The main ANSN web site is hosted and maintained by IAEA, while the national centres are responsible for their content and local management to keep the high quality of national web site. Almost 7,500 documents including all materials and information on more than 350 ANSN activities as well as other important documents and videos are pooled in the ANSN database for knowledge sharing.

This IT network also serves as a management tool and a communication tool of ANSN activities. Safety evaluation and proposals for activities are conducted through this IT Network. Discussion boards among experts are available.

Capacity building based on Safety Evaluation

Important aspects of nuclear safety of a country from the legal and governmental infrastructure, education and training, nuclear power plants and research reactors; emergency preparedness and response to radioactive waste management are evaluated through a self assessment by the Member State and a peer discussion among Members. For each of these areas, a set of specific topics are defined along with criteria for evaluating the status of each.

Based on the above safety evaluation, regional common needs and national specific needs to improve nuclear safety are identified. Topical Groups propose activities with mid-term objective to respond to the needs. The Steering Committee coordinates the proposals from Topical Groups and consults with other programmes, and decides an annual programme for the next year.

Annually 30 to 40 workshops, training courses, and expert missions are implemented with the support of nuclear safety experts from around the world, in particular the Supporting countries and IAEA.

Promotion of the ANSN

In order to increase the outreach of the ANSN, a newsletter is published on a bi-weekly basis since March 2005 and distributed electronically to about 900 subscribers. The newsletter provides an overview of recent technical activities carried out and those planned. It can also be accessed via the ANSN public web site.

To promote the use of the ANSN among the participating countries, several promotional meetings — known as ‘caravans’ — have been held during the past few years in various countries to introduce the ANSN and also to demonstrate the practical utilization of the network. These meetings were very much welcomed and some countries decided to organise additional caravan meetings to further promote the use of the ANSN at national level. The ANSN was also presented at major international conferences including the Pacific Basin Nuclear Conferences in 2006 and 2008, the International Conference on Knowledge Management in Nuclear Facilities in June 2007 in Vienna and has been regularly displayed at the IAEA General Conferences.

Vision of the ANSN for the year 2020

The Asian Nuclear Safety Network will provide a sustainable regional network effectively supporting establishment and continuous improvement of member country’s national nuclear safety infrastructure. This regional network will function through a strong human and IT network, combined with a regional capacity building system consisting of:

• Integrated Virtual Centre for existing and future Centres for Education and Training
• Technical Advisory Service and Cooperative activities
• Regional Support for Peer Review and Support Arrangement.