HalfHalf aa CenturyCentury ofof NordicNordic NuclearNuclear Co-operationCo-operation An Insider’s Recollections November 1997 • Franz R. Marcus Half a Century of NORDIC NUCLEAR CO-OPERATION An Insider’s Recollections November 1997 Printed by Nordgraf A/S, Copenhagen. This book is available from the NKS secretariat Building 100, P.O.B. 49 DK-4000 Roskilde Tel: (+45) 4677 4045 Fax: (+45) 4635 9273 e-mail: [email protected] ISBN 87-7893-018-9 Half a Century of NORDIC NUCLEAR CO-OPERATION An Insider’s Recollections The author taking up his job as a Nordic employee in 1967 List of contents INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 2 NORDIC NAMES, TRANSLATIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS ................... 4 SUMMARY................................................................................................. 7 1. THE EARLY DAYS, UP TO 1957 ........................................................ 31 1.1 The international background ................................................................................. 31 1.2 Early developments in the Nordic countries............................................................ 32 1.3 Early Nordic co-operation....................................................................................... 35 A Nordic Council for Atomic Energy ........................................................................ 37 2. FIRST FORMAL CO-OPERATION: 1957-1967.................................. 39 2.1 Creation of the Kontaktorgan ................................................................................. 39 2.2 The Kontaktorgan and European ventures .............................................................. 40 2.3 Co-operation in radiation protection ....................................................................... 42 2.4 The Kontaktorgan and joint Nordic activities ......................................................... 45 Isotopes ..................................................................................................................... 45 Reprocessing ............................................................................................................. 46 Heavy water............................................................................................................... 46 Reactor physics ......................................................................................................... 47 Reactor technology.................................................................................................... 47 Mutual assistance ...................................................................................................... 49 NORDEL................................................................................................................... 50 Industrial projects...................................................................................................... 50 Time for new initiatives............................................................................................. 51 3. INTENSIFIED CO-OPERATION FROM 1967 ..................................... 53 3.1 Background in the Nordic countries........................................................................ 53 3.2 Investigations leading to the Committee and NARS................................................. 57 Large projects related to nuclear technology.............................................................. 58 Advanced reactors ..................................................................................................... 58 Other initiatives......................................................................................................... 59 Conclusions of the NA investigation .......................................................................... 60 The creation of NAK, the Committee......................................................................... 60 3.3 Attempts for unification. NORDEK........................................................................ 61 3.4 The Committee (Nordiska Atomkoordineringskomittén, NAK)............................... 66 Organisation .............................................................................................................. 66 Isotopes ..................................................................................................................... 67 Reactor core calculations........................................................................................... 67 Concrete reactor tank................................................................................................. 69 Other activities .......................................................................................................... 70 Safety aspects ............................................................................................................ 72 The Marviken experiments ........................................................................................ 74 Environmental impact................................................................................................ 76 3.5 Co-operation among safety authorities.................................................................... 78 The Nordic working group on reactor safety, NARS .................................................. 81 Reactors near frontiers. The Barsebäck case.............................................................. 83 3.6 Electricity producers, NORDEL ............................................................................. 85 3.7 Documentation........................................................................................................ 87 3.8 Continued contacts through the Kontaktorgan ........................................................ 88 IAEA and safeguards................................................................................................. 89 Nuclear Energy Agency and Euratom........................................................................ 90 Relations to the Nordic Council................................................................................. 90 Development in the Nordic countries up to 1973....................................................... 91 4. THE ENERGY CRISIS 1973 AND THE START OF NKS ....................93 4.1 The Ministers’ reactions on the first energy crisis................................................... 93 4.2 Effects on the Kontaktorgan and the Committee ..................................................... 94 The Kontaktorgan ..................................................................................................... 94 The research institutes ............................................................................................... 95 More nuclear power?................................................................................................. 98 Opposition to nuclear power...................................................................................... 99 Nuclear societies ..................................................................................................... 100 Materials properties................................................................................................. 101 Waste ...................................................................................................................... 102 4.3 Preparations for a nuclear safety research programme .......................................... 104 4.4 The First NKS programme 1977-80...................................................................... 107 Quality assurance (QA) ........................................................................................... 109 Waste management (AO)......................................................................................... 109 Control room design (KRU) .................................................................................... 110 Authority related projects (MY) .............................................................................. 111 Radioecology (RA).................................................................................................. 112 End of the First NKS programme ............................................................................ 113 5. CHANGING CONDITIONS FOR CO-OPERATION........................... 117 5.1 The research institutes .......................................................................................... 117 Reorganisation of the Committee work .................................................................... 117 Energy research ....................................................................................................... 119 Safety related work.................................................................................................. 121 Diversification from nuclear research...................................................................... 122 5.2 The Kontaktorgan................................................................................................. 123 Kontaktorgan or Officials? ...................................................................................... 125 Safety authorities and Kontaktorgan........................................................................ 127 5.3 Waste: reprocessing or direct disposal.................................................................. 129 5.4 Changed relations between the research institutes................................................. 132 The end of the Committee.......................................................................................