International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

• Global cooperation in the nuclear field against the millennium bug - or Year 2000 (Y2K) computer problem - is featured in the latest edition (volume 41, Number 2) of the IAEA Bulletin.
  • How Bad is a Bug? (pdf) - Approaching Y2K's Eleventh Hour, Global Cooperation on the Year 2000 Computer Problem
  • The Millennium Bug and Development (pdf) - The World Banks' Y2K Action Plan for Developing Countries, by Joyce Amenta and Tressa Alfred
  • The IAEA & Y2K (pdf) - The Agency's Action Plan on the year 2000 Computer Problem, by Hadj Slimane Cherif and Joep Winkels
  • Progress and Cooperation (pdf) - Y2K, Safeguards & Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, by Kaluba Chitumbo, John Hilliard and James Smith
  • Certain Challenges (pdf) - Nuclear Safety Dimensions of Y2K Issues, by Morgan D. Libby
  • Power & Performance (pdf) - Y2K Challenges for Electricity Grids in Eastern Europe, by A. Kossilov, I. Ianev, B. Gueorguiev, and E. Purvis
  • Assessing Vulnerabilities (pdf)  - Y2K Problems & Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities, by Ron Shani
• Delegates from more than 20 countries recently attended an IAEA workshop on the problem.
• Nuclear Safety in Eastern Europe. The International Conference on Strengthening Nuclear Safety in Eastern Europe concluded Friday, 18 June, at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna. Representatives from all Eastern European countries operating RBMK and WWER reactors, as well as 18 additional States, participated in the conference.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

• Nuclear Energy Agency - The Nuclear Energy Agency Web site is mirrored at www.oecdnea.org and at www.nea.fr
  • Impact of the Year 2000 on the Nuclear Industry
    • Table of Contents or Zip file of all papers

    • Opening Session	(pdf)
      Impact of the Year 2000 on the Nuclear Industry - Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities, Barry Kaufer (OCDE NEA), France	Paper
      Impact of the Year 2000 on the Nuclear Industry, Dr. Agnes Bishop, President (AECB), Canada	Paper
      Exterminating the Bug: Governmental and Industrial Challenges in the Face of the Year 2000 Problem , Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Chairman (NRC), United States	Paper
      Tackling the Year 2000 Challenge, Mr. Guy McKenzie, Assistant Secretariat	Paper
      Inspection Procedures for Critical Programs that Model Physical Phenonema, Dr. David Parnas (NSERC/Bell Ind. Research Chair)	Paper
      Chair Myths and Methods, Is there a Scientific Basis for Y2K Inspections?, Dr. David Parnas, (NSERC/Bell Ind. Research Chair)	Paper
      Session I – Status of Y2K Programme Implementation and Corrective Actions
      Year 2000: Regulating the UK Nuclear Industry, Peter Hughes (NII), United Kingdom	Paper  Presentation
      Computer Year 2000 Problems in Japanese Nuclear Facilities, Hiroyuki Kondo (ANRE/ MITI) and Zen-ichi Ogiso (NUPEC), Japan	Paper Presentation
      Millennium Challenge: The Canadian Regulatory Strategy, Namir Anani (AECB), Canada	Paper Presentation
      Measures Taken by the Nuclear Regulatory Administration on Preventing of Negative Consequences of Year 2000 Problem on Ukrainian NPPs Safety, Volvodymyr Bezsalyi (NRA), Ukraine	Paper
      The Y2K Project Management Challenge, David Kwan (Ontario Hydro), Canada	Paper
      Y2K Strategies for Korean Nuclear Industry, Young-Woo Chang (KOPEC) and Kyu Bong Lee KEPCO), Korea	Paper Presentation
      Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Year 2000 Programme, John Pauksens (AECL), Canada	Paper
      Perspective and Status of Nuclear Regulatory Commission Year 2000 Initiatives, Matt Chiramal (NRC), United States	Paper
      The Year 2000 and the French Nuclear Facilities, Jean-Yves Henry, Pascal Regnier, Frederic Daumas & S.Manners (IPSN), France	Paper, Presentation
      The French Safety Authority Point of View on Year 2000 Problems, Anne-Marie Lapppassat (DSIN), France	Paper, Presentation
      The Electricité de France Response to the Year 2000 Challenge, Bernard Payen (EDF), France	Paper, Presentation
      Session II – Identified Y2K Problems and Their Remediation
      The Work on the Y2K Issue in Sweden, Bo Liwĺng (SKI), Sweden	Paper, Presentation
      Current State of Verification for Safety Relevant Software with Regard to the Millennium in German Nuclear Power Plants, Hartmuth Heinsohn (GRS), Germany	Paper, Presentation
      Impact of Year 2000 Problems on the Nuclear Industry in Russia, Inna Kaliberda, Alexander Gutsalov and Anatoly Alpeev (Gosatomnadzor), Russia	Paper
      Inventory Completeness and Categorisation, Ian Roberts (Ontario Hydro), Canada	Paper
      Seabrook Station Millennium Project, Philip Prognarola, (North Atlantic), United States	Paper
      Regulatory Strategy and Status for the Y2K Readiness Programme of the NPPs in Korea, Paper, Choong-Heui Jeong, Soung-Hun Oh and Won-Ki Shin (KINS,) Korea	Paper, Presentation
      Managing Year 2000 at a VVER Plant A Case Study from Loviisa NPS, Paper, Ulf Lindén (Loviisa NPP), Finland	Paper, Presentation
      The Certification Process for the Year 2000, Sig Rannem (Ontario Hydro), Canada	Paper
      Session III – Contingency Planning
      Y2K Contingency Planning, Jack Gibson (PECO Nuclear), United States	Paper
      Y2K External Risk Dependencies and Management, Bruce Mason (Ontario Hydro), Canada	Paper
      Nuclear Generation Year 2000 Contingency Planning, Eric Northeim (Carolina P & L), United States	Paper
      Y2K Emergency Preparedness and Precautionary Posture, Ian Nunn (Ontario Hydro), Canada	Paper, Presentation
      US NRC Draft Y2K Contingency Plan for the Year 2000 Issue in the Nuclear Industry, Joseph Giitter (NRC), United States	Paper
      NRC Y2K Draft Contingency Plan, Joseph Giitter (NRC), United States	Paper
      Additional Papers
      Control Millennium Bug in Tawain Power Company, Chen Wen-Hua (TPC), Chinese Taipei	Paper
      Year 2000 Effect at Nuclear Power Plants in Spain, Lorenzo Francia (UNESA), Spain	Paper
      Spain: The Regulatory Work on the Y2K Issue, Francisco Gallardo (CSN), Spain	Paper

• International Energy Agency

Nuclear Energy Institute - NEI Library Year 2000 Readiness

• Nuclear Industry Y2K Readiness Status Report (pdf)
• Y2K and the Nuclear Industry - An Introduction
• Nuclear Industry Y2K Milestones
• NEI Y2K Resources
• Related Links to Other Web Sites

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

• in99020.html - NRC Information Notice 99-20: Contingency Planning for the Year 2000 Computer Problem
• in99018.html - NRC Information Notice 99-18: Update on NRC'S Year 2000 Activities for Materials Licensees and Fuel Cycle Licensees and Certificate Holders
• in99012.html - NRC Information Notice 99-12: Year 2000 Computer Systems Readiness Audits
• gl98001s1.html - NRC Generic Letter No. 98-01 Supplement 1: Year 2000 Readiness of Computer Systems at Nuclear Power Plants
• Reports:
  • 07/19/1999 - Preliminary Report on Nuclear Power Plant Year 2000 Readiness (pdf)
  • Presentation by NRC Chairman Greta Dicus at the NRC Y2K Training And Tabletop Exercise, Doubletree Hotel, Rockville, MD, July 14, 1999
  • Audit Report on the Diablo Canyon, Oconee, Turkey Point, Indian Point, Palo Verde Y2K Contingency Planning Program - July 8 and July 13, 1999
  • Press Release 99-138, Nuclear Power Plants Report Safety Systems Are Y2K Ready - July 7, 1999
  • Summary of Licensee Reports on the Status of Y2K Readiness at Nuclear Power Plants - July 7, 1999
• Nuclear Power Plant Computer Systems
  • Since 1996, the NRC has been working with nuclear power plant licensees and the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry organization -- to assure plant systems are "Y2K ready" before the year 2000. In May 1998, the NRC notified all utilities operating nuclear plants (Generic Letter 98-01) that they are required to inform NRC of steps they are taking to see that computer systems will function properly by the Year 2000. All licensees responded to that Generic Letter, stating that they have adopted an NRC-accepted industry program that is designed to make them Y2K ready by July 1, 1999.
  • In January 1999, the NRC issued Supplement 1 to Generic Letter 98-01. The scope of the Supplement is broader than Generic Letter 98-01. The new request for information includes systems necessary for continued plant operation, which are not covered by the terms and conditions of the plant's license and NRC regulations. Consequently, this information does not require submittal under oath or affirmation. Utilities have a choice whether they report by July 1 on their plants' Y2K readiness for systems within their license and NRC regulations or all those systems required for continued operation.
  • The industry's program to assess and remedy Y2K problems looks at both safety-related and non-safety related systems. If problems are found, the utilities are expected to take corrective action. The Nuclear Energy Institute program, accepted by the NRC and adopted by the utilities, is available on the NEI web site. The NRC has no indication that significant Y2K problems exist with safety-related systems in nuclear power plants for those systems that directly affect the ability to safely operate and shut down the plants. All plants can be shut down safely, if necessary, after January 1, 2000.
  • Most nuclear plant safety systems are operated and controlled by analog equipment which is not date-dependent and is not susceptible to the Y2K problem. However, Y2K problems have been found in non-safety, but nevertheless important, computer-based applications, such as security computers, control room display systems, engineering programs, control systems, radiation monitoring, and emergency response.
  • Sample Audits - Monticello, Seabrook, Brunswick, Hope Creek, Davis Besse, Wolf Creek, Watts Bar, Limerick, Waterford, North Anna, Braidwood, WNP-2 - The staff did not identify any issues that would preclude these licensees from achieving readiness. These findings are consistent with those recently reported by the Department of Energy in a report prepared by the North American Electric Reliability Council on the status of Y2K readiness of the electric power grid
  • However, the staff noted from the completed audits that licensee Y2K contingency planning efforts had not progressed far enough for a complete review, and, therefore, additional oversight of this area was conducted. NRC reviewed the contingency planning efforts of six different licensees from those identified in the initial 12 sample Y2K readiness audits, in May 1999 and June 1999. These reviews, which focused on the licensee's approach to addressing both internal and external Y2K risks to safe plant operations based on the guidance in Nuclear Utility Year 2000 Readiness Contingency Planning ( NEI/NUSMG 98-07), included the following (12 units at) 6 sites: Oconee 1, 2 & 3, Indian Point 2, Palo Verde 1, 2 & 3,  Turkey Point 3 & 4, Duane Arnold, Diablo Canyon 1 & 2
  • In addition to the staff activities addressed above, NRC inspectors have reviewed plant-specific Y2K program implementation activities at all nuclear power plant facilities. The staff continues to provide periodic status reports to the Commission describing its efforts in this area and the progress of nuclear power plant licensees on addressing the Y2K issue. The most recent status reports are: May 1999
    • Year 2000 activities at all 66 sites (103 nuclear power units) will be reviewed by NRC Regional staff. These reviews are scheduled to be completed by the end of July. Regional inspectors will use a checklist to review licensee Y2K readiness programs including the area of contingency planning. Headquarters staff will participate in selected reviews to assure the consistency of the reviews across all four NRC Regions. The results from these reviews will be consolidated and issued as a single report by August, 1999. The report will be made publically available and posted at the NRC Y2K website.
    • A Y2K Contingency Plan table top exercise involving NRC, Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), the State of Maryland and counties surrounding the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is tentatively planned for July 14, 1999. On October 15, 1999, the NRC staff plans to exercise the agency's Y2K Contingency Plan. Commonwealth Edison is coordinating the exercise play from a half dozen nuclear power plant licensees. This exercise will also test the back-up communications systems, including newly procured NRC satellite phones. The staff's consultant recently completed a cost-benefit analysis of the available satellite communication options.  
    • NRC Inspection Manual Temporary Instruction TI-2515-141 - The resource estimate to complete this TI is 40 hours per review. 04/13/1999 - Final NRC Inspection Manual Temporary Instruction TI-2515/141 for Review of Year 2000 (Y2K) Readiness of Computer Systems at Nuclear Power Plants with Attachment A (Y2K Review Checklist) and Attachment B (Sample Listing for the Y2K Review Checklist)
• Fuel Facilities and Other Nuclear Material Users
  • Site Visits with Materials Licensees and Fuel Cycle Facilities - Each Fuel Cycle Facility has responded to the Generic Letter and stated that they have implemented a Y2K Readiness Program. No facility stated that they were Y2K Ready by December 31, 1998, however each facility has indicated that they will be Y2K Ready well before January 1, 2000.  There have been no identified risk-significant Y2K concerns for Fuel Cycle Facilities.
    • BWX Technologies (Fuel Cycle Facility)
    • Cogema Mining (Uranium Extraction)
    • Georgetown University (Broad Scope and Medical)
    • Mallinckrodt Medical Inc. (Radiopharmaceutical Manufacturer)
    • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (Research and Development)
    • U.S. Enrichment Corporation (Gaseous Diffusion Plants)
  • Site Visit with Agreement State Licensee
    • Sterigenics North Carolina (Large Irradiators)
  • Telephone Interviews with Device Manufacturers and Distributors
    • Ohmart Humbult Scientific, Inc. (Gauge Manufacturer)
    • Seaman Nuclear Corp. (Gauge Manufacturer)
    • Troxler Electronics (Gauge Manufacturer)
    • General Nucleonics (Gauge Manufacturer)
    • PECO Control Corp. (Gauge Manufacturer)
    • LFE Industrial Corp. (Gauge Manufacturer)
    • Electa (Gamma Knife Distributor)
    • Theratronics (Teletherapy Device Manufacturer)
  • To date, only treatment planning systems, dose calibrators, and a tote position display for an irradiator have been found to have a Y2K problem.  Treatment planning systems and dose calibrators are regulated by the FDA not the NRC.
• NRC Year 2000 Contingency Planning -
  • Licensees must also confirm to the NRC by July 1 that they have developed contingency plans to deal with unforeseen Y2K problems. To help licensees with development of their plans, the NEI has developed appropriate guidance.
  • The staff provided the Commission with a draft of NRC Contingency Plan for the Year 2000 Issue in the Nuclear Industry (COMSECY 98-036) in November 1998. The contingency plan presented a reasonably conservative planning scenario for the Y2K transition and anticipated NRC staff actions to be taken in response to potential Y2K problems. The staff sought and received Commission approval to solicit public comment on the draft contingency plan. Public and industry comments were received and have been incorporated (by SECY-99-134) in the attached revision of NRC Contingency Plan for the Year 2000 Issue in the Nuclear Industry
  • On February 19, 1999, a staff requirements memorandum (SRM) was issued on COMSECY-98-036. The SRM provided direction to the staff in three areas: (1) it required the staff to develop and run tabletop exercises and drills modeling potential Y2K scenarios, (2) it required the staff to evaluate and make a recommendation, following stakeholder input, on whether enforcement discretion would be preferable to the use of 10 CFR 50.54(x) in allowing licensees to deviate from license conditions or technical specifications arising from Year 2000 complications that would otherwise require plant shutdown, and (3) it directed the staff to expedite the purchase and deployment of mobile satellite communication equipment at each nuclear power plant site in advance of the Y2K transition. The incident response facet of the plan describes steps the staff will take in the unlikely but possible event that a Y2K problem would result in a safety-significant event at a nuclear power plant (NPP) or gaseous diffusion plant (GDP), such as a loss of offsite power. As part of the information sharing facet of the plan, a small team of specialists will staff the headquarters Operations Center at noon on December 31, 1999, to monitor, evaluate, and communicate any Y2K problems at foreign reactors that have potential safety implications for domestic reactor licensees. This team would also be available to respond to any potential Y2K problems caused by embedded chips that have a date stamp based on an earlier time zone. Approximately 2 hours before midnight (EST) on December 31, 1999, the headquarters Operations Center will be staffed by a multidisciplinary Y2K response team, headed by the Director of Incident Response Operations. In addition to headquarters staff, the Y2K response team will include resident or regional staff stationed at each NPP and GDP site and a small number of staff at the Incident Response Centers in each region. The NRC Regional IV office in Arlington, Texas, will be prepared to assume the functions of headquarters if an unanticipated Y2K problem results in the unavailability of the headquarters Operations Center. This Y2K response team will be prepared to respond to an event related directly or indirectly to a Y2K problem and would utilize time zone differences to share relevant safety information with those licensees that have not yet experienced the transition.
• NRC Frequently Asked Questions
  • There is an Emergency Telecommunications System (ETS) at all commercial nuclear power plants which provides information to NRC from plant control rooms, technical support centers, and emergency operations facilities. This system is carried on dedicated lines to the Federal Telecommunications System (FTS) 2000 network which is separate from the public switched telephone network. The General Services Administration has advised the NRC that the FTS 2000 network will be Y2K ready by July 1999.
  • In addition to the ETS, communication can be provided via the public switched network. According to the National Communications Systems (NCS) Manager, testing for all of the major telephone vendors and networks is in progress and major portions of the public switched network will be Y2K ready by mid-1999. We are also working closely with NCS to ensure that the switches in the small local telephone companies near our licensed facilities are being upgraded as necessary.
  • The NRC maintains a general awareness of other countries' nuclear Y2K programs. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is coordinating Y2K information about nuclear power plants worldwide and is the principal source of information on the status of Y2K compliance as it relates to nuclear safety in other countries. Information on the IAEA's Y2K activities can be found on their website at: www.iaea.org/worldatom/program/y2k/.   
• NRC References and Year 2000 Links
  • February 1999 - Quarterly Status Report to OMB on NRC Y2K Efforts
• NRC Computer Systems
• NRC Generic Letter No. 98-01 Year 2000 Readiness of Computer Systems at Nuclear Power Plants
  • The scope of NEI-NUSMG 97-07 includes the broad range of computers and software-based systems in a nuclear power plant. However, NRC Y2K concerns are limited to safety-related systems and other systems required by the nuclear power plant license or NRC regulations.
  • Diverse concerns are associated with the potential impact of the Y2K problem on nuclear power plants because of the variety and types of computer systems in use. The concerns result from licensees' reliance upon
    • (1) software to schedule maintenance and technical specification surveillance,
    • (2) programmable logic controllers and other commercial off-the-shelf software and hardware,
    • (3) digital process control systems,
    • (4) software to support facility operation,
    • (5) digital systems for collection of operating data, and
    • (6) digital systems to monitor post-accident plant conditions.

Atomic Energy Control Board

Canadian Nuclear Society

• Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL)
• Canadian Radiation Protection Association
• Canadian Society of Nuclear Medicine
• The Canadian Nuclear Association
• Federal Environmental Assessment Review panel's report on Canada's nuclear fuel waste disposal strategy
• British Nuclear Fuels Ltd
• ABB Atom Home Page
• Uranium Information Centre, Melbourne Australia
• The Uranium Institute
• The Canadian Nuclear FAQ
• American Nuclear Society
• Finnish Nuclear Society
• Malaysian Nuclear Society
• Don's List of Research Reactors

Nuclear Information and Resource Service

• 01/25/1999 - NRC requested public comment on three petitions for rulemaking filed by the Nuclear Information and Resource Service:
  • Y2K and shut-down of nuclear facilities   (Comments)
  • Y2K and emergency planning   (Comments)
  • Y2K and availability of back-up power   (Comments)

New Reports about Nuclear Power and Y2K:

• NRC to Release Y2K Progress Report for Nuclear Plants
• World's Nuke Plants On Track For Year 2000 Bug-UN --> http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/inforesource/bulletin/bull412/index.html
• Are nuclear sites ready?

Nuclear Utilities Software Management Group - Nuclear Utilities Software Management Group (NUSMG)

• NUSMG-NEI Y2K Joint Task Force Meeting Minutes
• August 1998 - NEI/NUSMG 98-07, Nuclear Utility Year 2000 Readiness: Contingency Planning
• October 1997 - NEI/NUSMG 97-07, Nuclear Utility Year 2000 Readiness
• Draft Generic Letter
  • To date, the NRC staff has not identified nor received notification from licensees or vendors of digital protection systems (e.g., Westinghouse, General Electric, Combustion Engineering, Foxboro, Allen Bradley, or Framatome/Babcock & Wilcox) that a Y2K problem exists with safety-related initiation and actuation systems. However, problems have been identified in non-safety, but important, computer-based systems. Such systems, primarily databases and data collection processes necessary for plant operation that are date driven, may need to be modified for Y2K compliance. Some examples of systems and computer equipment that may be affected by Y2K problems follow:
    • Security computers
    • Plant process (data scan, log, and alarm and safety parameter display system computers
    • Emergency response systems
    • Radiation monitoring systems
    • Dosimeters and readers
    • Plant simulators
    • Engineering programs
    • Communication systems
    • Inventory control systems
    • Surveillance and maintenance tracking systems
    • Control systems
  • To alert nuclear power plant licensees to the Y2K problem, the NRC issued Information Notice (IN) 96-70, "Year 2000 Effect on Computer System Software," on December 24, 1996. In IN 96-70 the staff described the potential problems that nuclear power plant computer systems and software may encounter as a result of the change to the new century and how the Y2K issue may affect NRC licensees.

North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) - North American Electricity Reliability Council (NERC)

• NERC's Y2K Report to DOE - April 30, 1999
• Contingency Planning and Drills
• NERC Y2k Survey Summaries and Database Information - June 1999
  • Eastern Interconnection
  • Western Interconnection
  • ERCOT Interconnection

Argonne National Laboratory - NEI's Source Book on Soviet-Designed Reactors can be found here.

Ex-USSR Nuclear Technologies and the World

Chernobyl- Ten Years On - Radiological and Health Impact

Paper: Impact of Year 2000 Problems on the Nuclear Industry in Russia, Inna Kaliberda, Alexander Gutsalov and Anatoly Alpeev (Gosatomnadzor), Russia

Russia's Nuclear Fleet without Funds to Fix Millennium Bug

Russian Nukes Y2K Fix

Russia Prepares for Y2K Crisis June 23

Russia largely unprepared

Edison Electric Institute (EEI)

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) -

IBM - Utility & Energy Services

President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion - Energy

Chief Information Officers Council Committee on Year 2000

McDermott International, Inc.

• McDermott International, Inc. is a leading energy services company, providing engineering, procurement, and project management for customers involved in the production of energy and in other industries. The company is composed of four business units. J. Ray McDermott, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, BWX Technologies, Inc., and the Industrial Group, comprising Hudson Products and the Delta companies.
• Among the products and services of the company and its subsidiaries are steam-generating and environmental equipment used by the electrical power industry; fuel and components for the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered ships and submarines; engineering and construction for onshore hydrocarbon processing plants; the manufacture of heat exchange equipment; and the design, fabrication, and installation of structures and pipelines for the offshore production of oil and gas.
• BWX Technologies, Inc. - BWX Technologies, Inc., (BWXT) supplies nuclear fuel and reactor components to the U.S. Navy, and high precision manufactured components for other U.S. government programs and for commercial markets. BWXT supplies products and services to operators of research reactors, operates and maintains U.S. government facilities, and provides clean-up and remediation of sites for Department of Energy.

American Nuclear Society

SCIENTECH

Women in Nuclear

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Sandia National Laboratories

Los Alamos