REMARKS BY SIG BERG
Inaugural Ceremony of the World Nuclear University
4 September 2003

WANO is extremely pleased to be a part of the WNU. It is an important step for the nuclear community worldwide.

This last spring I had the opportunity to visit Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in China. It was an eye opening experience. Phase II Unit 1 is a CANDU unit that went into operation in December of last year. In my conversation with the plant manager I learned that the average age of the people working on the unit was 26.

This is quite a contrast to many of our plants where the average age is near twice that of Qinshan. Over the years we have learned many lessons in how to best operate commercial nuclear plants. In far too many cases we have had to learn through what some often refer to as the "school of hard knocks" - significant events and the painful experiences of chronic poor performance. In the next few years the future success of the nuclear industry will depend on our ability to pass on this knowledge and experience to the next generation of operators in a positive way. This certainly must be a crucial function of WNU.

As WNU begins to emerge it must become a centre of excellence with clarity in focus and excellence in learning.

There are five areas that would like to briefly outline that can serve as a foundation of excellence.

  1. WNU provides a solid foundation in the basics of nuclear technology and theory. Without the basics we can do and expect very little.
  2. The practical lessons the industry has learned over the years must be carefully and thoughtfully woven into the fabric of WNU. This "operational focus" brings alive the theory and allows its practical application
  3. The third area deals with matters of leadership and management. Basics and practical understandings are important, but leading people and managing the business in this industry is essential if our plants are to safe and reliable over the long run. WNU in order to be a center of excellence must integrate the technology with the people who must lead and manage it.
  4. This fourth area is best described as integrating nuclear safety and business. We have many talented CEO's and financial people coming into our industry, but they little or no background in nuclear and little or no understanding of nuclear safety. In far too many places nuclear safety and good sound business practices are seen as mutually exclusive. WNU must provide the leaders an opportunity to see how nuclear safety and solid financial management together make solid business sense
  5. Area number five deals with the whole realm of communication. Frankly, our industry does not do a great job communicating our business very well to the public. WNU must make a commitment to communications - how do we communicate a sense of openness and transparency to the public at large. It goes without saying, I think, without public support and understanding, our technology will be left in the backwaters.

There you have it - five areas of excellence:

All five - hallmarks - of WNU.

I should add one final comment. When I was at Qinshan, I spent some time with the control room staff. They were all university graduates - fluent not only in Chinese but also English. The oldest in the group has been out of school only 7 years. They were highly motivated, knowledgeable, and committed - the same kind of characteristics of the students and faculty of WNU.