http://www.techserver.com/noframes/story/0,2294,500147033-500177360-500706130-0,00.html

Link

Nuclear plants wary of Y2K moment

Copyright ) 1999 Nando Media Copyright ) 1999 Agence France-Press

From Time to Time: Nando's in-depth look at the 20th century

by MICHAEL THURSTON

VIENNA (December 27, 1999 10:58 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Nuclear plants worldwide are on high alert this week ahead of Friday's millennium computer rollover.

Attention is focused on ex-Soviet plants like Chernobyl in Ukraine, scene of the world's worst ever nuclear accident in 1986. But critics say incidents could occur anywhere.

"There is no way to simulate the Y2K moment, the zero moment, so there can't be any guarantee that there wont be any malfunction at any technical facilities," Greenpeace Y2K coordinator Tobias Muenchmeyer told AFP on Monday.

"There is concern that Eastern plants could be more affected because the countries have not invested as much in solving the problem. But at the same time, Soviet reactors are less dependent on computer chips and that actually brings them into a better position than Western plants."

While public Y2K fears have focused more on air travel and personal computers, nuclear-linked software glitches could have more dramatic consequences.

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been working intensively for more than a year to coordinate Y2K action among operators of the over 400 nuclear plants in over 30 countries.

Workshops, expert exchanges and status reports have been organized, while its emergency response center has spent months preparing for this Friday night.

But despite all the efforts, it admitted this month that significant problems remain -- notably due to lack of cash in struggling ex-communist states.

"There is concern that some nuclear power plant operators are falling behind in their efforts to complete the necessary Y2K tasks owing to late actions and a shortage of funds," said IAEA head Mohamed El Baradei.

He did not specify which plants or countries were most at risk, but an IAEA spokesman said the three main ones were Chernobyl, Ignalina in Lithuania -- of the same type as the Ukrainian plant -- and Armenia's sole nuclear facility.

"It doesn't mean we believe there's any acute danger ... it's just that if something unusual happens, then they may not have all of their computerized systems working," the spokesman told AFP.

Experts insist the most serious possible consequence of a nuclear-plant computer problem is an automatic reactor shutdown, causing power cuts but no wider fallout.

To counter specific risks, some plants have agreed to take specific action over the millennium period. Ignalina in Lithuania, for example, will limit its output to 50 percent of capacity during the vital period.

On Friday night, IAEA experts will monitor the midnight computer rollover as it sweeps from Asia through Europe and across to the Americas, to learn from any incidents which do occur, and possibly alert other plants in advance.

In some key plants, officials play down the threat of a new Chernobyl. "I wouldn't be here if there was something dangerous. I am a trained engineer," said Dobroslav Dobak, spokesman at the Jaslovske Bohunice plant in Slovakia, which is being closed early notably due to EU fears.

Environmentalists are not convinced. "There is always a risk of a major incident, but on the millennium night the risk is obviously higher," said Greenpeace's Muenchmeyer.

Even nuclear authorities admit there are no 100 percent guarantees.

"Although the nuclear industry has an excellent safety record, Chernobyl demonstrated that accidents can and do happen," says the preamble to the IAEA's emergency response system.

"During and after a nuclear accident, effective communication is essential to enable authorities to take prompt measures and to provide reliable information to the public at large," it adds.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), December 27, 1999