PNNL

Abstract

This is a book review. This is the story of one of the most enduring instances of cooperation among different countries in any field in the twentieth century. Specifically, it describes efforts at coordination and integration in the area of nuclear development between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden starting after World War II and continuing through the present. The Nordic countries had an early interest in nuclear activities, in part because of informal contacts based on influential individuals such as Niels Bohr. Their common history, environment, and culture led to common interests in developing nuclear power, and the precedent of the creation of the Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS) in 1946 showed that international initiatives could actually work. Efforts in the 1950s lead to establishment of a joint institute for theoretical atomic physics, a liaison committee to follow developments in the nuclear filed, and a Nordic group on radiation protection. Nordic electric utilities also began working together. In the mid-1960s, a Nordic Coordination Committee for Atomic Energy was established, as well as a Contact Group of members of national ministries, which generated a number of active initiatives. These groups helped direct research and development, by influencing government funding programs, through the 1960s and 1970s. Following the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, the thrust changed to nuclear waste management and safety research. In the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl accident, the close working relations allowed quick communication of data and recommendations throughout the various countries. As time passed and regulatory programs became more formalized, the ad hoc groups were replaced with more bureaucratic structures, which were in turn threatened by funding shortfalls. A series of Nordic Committee for Nuclear Safety Research initiatives continued well into the mid-1990s.