THE WHITE HOUSE
  
                     Office of the Press Secretary
  
 For Immediate Release                               June 17, 1992
  
  
                            FACT SHEET ON
           NUCLEAR REACTOR SAFETY ASSISTANCE FOR RUSSIA
  
 The U.S. has been working with the former Soviet Union on civilian reactor
 safety since 1988.  On April 26, 1988, the U.S. and the USSR signed a
 Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Civilian Nuclear Reactor Safety.
  
 Under this memorandum twelve working groups were established which cover
 a number of nuclear reactor issues.  These programs focus on safe
 operating procedures and practices, reactor maintenance and backfitting,
 severe accident research, and regulatory procedures and practices.  By the
 end of FY 1992 we will have invested $15 million in these programs.
 At the May 23-24 Lisbon Coordinating Conference, the U.S. announced a new
 $25 million nuclear safety initiative which builds and expands on this
 cooperation program. It provides for:
  
 --   Immediate operational safety enhancement through improvement
      of emergency operating procedures and equipment servicing
      and maintenance practices; development of alarm response
      procedures; improvement of diagnostics methods and hardware;
      and training for technical support personnel at nuclear
      power plants.
  
 --   Risk reduction measures for RMBKs and VVER 440/230 reactors
      through improvement of confinement performance for severe
      accidents; development of methods to prevent uncontrolled
      hydrogen explosions; installation of dedicated emergency
      diesel and feedwater pumps in protected areas; and
      improvement of basic fire detection and response capability.
  
 --   Assistance to regulators in developing consistent and
      effective safety standards and procedures and provide
      training in nuclear materials safety, safeguards practices,
      regulatory law, and use of radioactivity monitoring
      equipment.
  
 To facilitate activities in the first area, the U.S. will establish a
 nuclear safety training center in Russia. The center will serve as a focal
 point for training, establishing comprehensive Western safety management
 systems in existing reactors in the newly independent states, and
 identifying opportunities for short-term improvement in operations and
 instrumentation. It will fit well within the framework of multilateral
 efforts now under discussion in the preparations for the 1992 Economics
 Summit in Munich.