AIEA

The Agency’s activities in 1995 in the area of nuclear power were focused on several areas: developing improved versions of software for energy, electricity and nuclear power planning; assistance in planning studies in developing Member States using the Agency’s software; on-line services and systematic monitoring of power reactor information; technology issues on nuclear power plant life management and the human-machine interface; revision of quality assurance standards; technology improvement for advanced nuclear reactors; seawater desalination using nuclear energy; and the transmutation of actinides.

Nuclear Power Planning and Implementation

The need for the Agency to provide assistance in nuclear power programme planning to developing Member States has increased over the years. In 1995, Belarus, Brazil and Poland were added to the list of countries receiving technical co-operation assistance in applying the Energy and Power Evaluation Package (ENPEP), which can be used to assess the nuclear power option. In addition, Albania, Estonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova and Viet Nam received assistance in defining a framework for technical co-operation projects on energy, electricity and nuclear power planning.

The large number of operating nuclear power plants in Member States makes it imperative that operation and maintenance personnel receive specific training in the reliable and safe operation of these plants. Recognizing this, the Agency in 1995 incorporated a systematic approach to the training of operations and maintenance personnel in a revised version of the Agency’s guidebook on nuclear power plant training.

Distribution of computer models
Number of releases of planning model or package
MAED     WASP     VALORAGUA     ENPEP
Member States     43     88     36     39
International organizations     5     12     2     5
Totals     8     100     38     42
ENPEP: Energy and Power Evaluation Package; MAED: Model for Analysis of Energy Demand; VALORAGUA: Valor Agua (water value); WASP: Wien Automatic System Planning Package.

The adoption of an integrated approach to energy, electricity and nuclear power programme planning is assisted greatly by the use of the Agency’s Wien Automatic System Planning Package (WASP). The newest version of WASP, known as WASP-III Plus, has been fully documented through the publication of a user’s manual in the Agency’s Computer Manual Series. In addition, a significantly improved version of WASP, called WASP-IV, was integrated into a single package and is expected to be completed in 1996-1997.