Foreign Tour on Nuclear Energy in the U.S.

August 6, 2013

August 6-15, 2013; Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; and Atlanta, Georgia
Contact: Washington Foreign Press Center Media Relations Officer Doris Robinson
Telephone: 202-504-6353; email: robinsondm2@state.gov

Eleven print, radio and television journalists from India, Poland, Slovakia, Taiwan, Japan and the Czech Republic participated in a Washington-Foreign Press Center tour on nuclear energy from August 6-15, 2013. The reporters began the tour in Washington, D.C., then traveled to Richmond, VA and Atlanta Georgia to explore advances in nuclear safety, the positive economic impact of nuclear power, and the policies and procedures involved in the U.S. nuclear energy industry.

Journalists met and interviewed experts covering all major aspects of the industry, starting with a thorough overview of the U.S. government’s perspective from the National Security Council, Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Ex-Im Bank and the Department of State. Additional perspectives from NGOs (such as the Nuclear Energy Institute and the World Organization of Nuclear Operators) and academics (with stops at the Virginia Commonwealth University and Georgia Tech) ensured a well-rounded exploration of the issues. The tour featured visits to two operating nuclear power plants which further illustrated different aspects of the industry. The visit to the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station near Richmond highlighted the automatic safety protocols that kicked in during the August 2011 earthquake, the use of simulators to practice emergency procedures and the latest technologies which will be used in the station’s next reactor. By visiting the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, GA, journalists were able to view two new reactors still under construction as well as the plant’s extensive on-site training facilities.