energy physics, renewable energy, underground coal gasification, and engine modeling. An agreement with the Spanish Junta de Energia Nuclear for cooperation in the fields of nuclear energy, renewable energy, energy conservation, high energy physics, and nuclear physics also was concluded. DOE signed an agreement with the Spanish Institute of Geology and Minerals for cooperation in the field of coal technologies and geothermal energy. These agreements were concluded both in support of foreign policy goals of strengthening ties with Spain, and as a means of integrating Spain's R&D efforts with the mainstream of Western science.

Italy. DOE signed an Implementing Agreement in the Field of Direct Liquefaction of Coal with the Italian Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Handicraft in April, 1986. The joint project includes cooperation in carrying out a bench-scale research program for the conversion of coal to liquid hydrocarbons and to develop a conceptual process design based on the research results. DOE also signed with the same Ministry a MOU to exchange energy information for the mutual benefit of both countries. The information includes computer tapes of energy abstracts, energy reports, and other pertinent energy R&D material.

Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). An agreement on research in Liquid Metal Cooled Reactors with the FRG was extended for an additional year.

Norway. DOE began negotiating an overall energy R&D agreement with Norway, initially focusing on enhanced oil recovery technology.

Mexico. DOE signed a geothermal umbrella agreement with Mexico in April, 1986. In addition, DOE is negotiating several annexes under the U.S.-Mexico Cooperative Energy MOU. One annex is on chemical analysis and characterization of heavy crude oil, and another is on high pressure thermodynamic studies of materials important in petroleum processing. These negotiations are nearing completion and the agreements probably will be signed in early 1987.

Venezuela. The DOE umbrella energy R&D agreement with Venezuela currently includes seven active annexes in the areas of heavy crude oil characterization, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), coal technology, oil field subsidence, and training. Three annexes were extended during 1986, including those on coal, oilfield subsidence, and thermal EOR processes.

Israel. An energy R&D cooperation agreement was signed between DOE and the Israel Ministry of Energy in 1984. Under the agreement, a Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) was set up to identify priorities and coordinate work programs. The JCC held its first meeting in Israel in June, 1985. The second JCC meeting was held in Washington in June, 1986. Dr. Alvin Trivelpiece, Director of DOE Office of Energy Research, headed the U.S. side. There currently are eight projects active under the agreement in the areas of solar energy, biomass, oil shale, and oil geology. DOE signed an annex during 1986 on evaluating micro-algal biomass production, and on absorption cycles and working fluids for solar cooling systems.

At the June, 1986 JCC meeting, the Israeli side tabled a proposal for an ambitious joint program in a demonstration plant for direct combustion of oil shale to produce industrial steam and electricity, and for field testing of solar energy technologies at its new Sede Boker test facility. DOE is reviewing these demonstration-oriented proposals.

DOE and the Israeli Ministry of Science and Development also are negotiating an agreement that will encompass basic science and energy research, and entail setting up a Joint Scientific Committee.

Saudi Arabia. DOE negotiated an extension from January, 1986 to January, 1987 of the SOLERAS solar energy R&D project with Saudi Arabia in order to permit completion of several ongoing projects. Funding for this project totaled $100 million, divided equally between the two governments. Under this program, fundamental research has been conducted in photovoltaic and solar thermal energy, and a solar desalination plant that began operation in 1985 continues to provide valuable data on state-of-the art concepts in this field. SOLERAS also has sponsored basic solar energy research at nine universities in the U.S., and sponsored annual solar energy technology workshops and short university-level courses. Efforts are underway to negotiate a new energy R&D agreement with Saudi Arabia to permit continued cooperation after the SOLERAS agreement expires, an undertaking that would be entirely consistent with U.S. foreign policy goals both in terms of the region and in terms of energy security.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Bilateral Information Exchange Arrangements

NRC participates in a wide-ranging, mutually beneficial program of information exchange, and cooperative safety and research activities with its counterparts in the international community. Since 1974 when it instituted the program, the NRC has conducted most of its technical information exchange under the aegis of a series of general safety cooperation arrangements it has formally concluded with the regulatory authorities of 21 countries: Belgium, Brazil, the PRC, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, FRG, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., and Yugoslavia.

These arrangements involve as full and active exchange partners all countries except India that are operating light water reactors of U.S. origin, all countries with reactors of U.S. design under construction, and several countries that at some time in the past seriously have considered making a commitment to U.S. nuclear technology. (With India, NRC has exchanged letters agreeing only to share information on accidents and incidents at nuclear facilities rather than on the full spectrum of safety activities.)

The primary objective of these arangements is to establish a formal channel for communications with foreign nuclear regulatory organizations in order to assure prompt and reciprocal notification of reactor safety problems that could affect both U.S. and foreign nuclear facilities. The agreements also affect identification of possible "precursor events" that warrant further investigation. Since more than 40 percent of the nuclear steam

supply systems designed by U.S. firms are located in foreign countries, data from these reactors provide substantial and important input to U.S. operating information data base from which they can, and do, influence U.S. regulatory decisions.

These agreements also provide a framework for bilateral cooperation on nuclear safety, safeguards, waste management, and environmental protection. They serve as a vehicle for the NRC to provide assistance in improving nuclear health and safety

practices to developing countries importing U.S. power reactors. They typically are written for a period of five years, but contain provisions for renewal by mutual agreement.

The NRC's bilateral arrangements call for the exchange of all aspects of nuclear safety and regulatory information via cable, telephone, letters, technical reports, and other publications. Exchanges also occur through training courses, seminars, and joint discussions. In some cases, the agreements provide for general cooperation in reactor safety research, and for the long-term assignment of foreign regulatory personnel to the NRC staff or to the NRC programs at the national laboratories for on-the-job training in U.S. regulatory practices and procedures. The arrangements provide in all cases, for the protection of information that the NRC foreign partners have given the NRC in confidence under the condition that it be withheld from public disclosure.

The NRC arrangements with the PRC, the FRG, Japan, and the U.K. all were renewed during FY 1986. Negotiations on the renewals of existing arrangements with Italy, Korea, and Mexico, as well as on a new arrangement with Argentina, are under way.

Bilateral and Multilateral Safety Research Agreements

NRC also has established and maintains a network of general and specific agreements on safety research and cooperation that has grown significantly in both scope and substance over the last few years. NRC currently is involved in over 50 separate research agreements through which it cooperates with 14 countries in ongoing nuclear safety research projects in the U.S. and abroad. These research projects make direct contributions of data and analyses needed to confirm and assess computer codes used in the NRC licensing and regulatory process. Some of this cooperative research involves experiments performed in U.S. facilities with foreign countries making direct cash contributions as high as $5 million each to participate; some of the work involves the foreign country providing the results of complementary or supplementary research it has sponsored in an area of interest or need to the U.S. In other cases, experiments are performed overseas, and the U.S. either contributes instrumentation, test analysis and on-site experts, or makes direct cash contributions to the host program. This kind of cooperation has the effect of maximizing research dollars by coordinating planning, defining priorities, and eliminating duplication of effort.

A good example of this type of foreign support is the series of agreements in the area of thermal hydraulic code assessment that call for the cooperating party to perform costly and time-consuming code assessment calculation. Agreements recently concluded or under negotiation in the thermal hydraulic area

provide NRC with over 100 such assessment calculations to be performed over the next three to four years. In addition, France and Italy will make available to NRC experimental data that is obtained in their new multi-million dollar facilities.

Another example is the NRC severe accident and source term research program in which international participation has played a crucial role in maintaining the momemtum of the program in the face of U.S. funding constraints. A consortium of 10 countries presently is contributing personnel, equipment and millions of dollars to this research effort. This year's efforts have resulted in the NRC obtaining commitments to remain in the program from the U.K., Japan, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Korea, Spain, Taiwan and Germany. The NRC in turn has offered these countries access to other related areas of research such as in-vessel and ex-vessel containment analysis and experimental results. Spain is the latest country to join the severe accidents program during this fiscal year, and also is participating in the thermal hydraulic code assessment program and the boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear plant analyzer program.

The net effect on the NRC regulatory program of this and other international research cooperation is providing the U.S. with over $100 million worth of research.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Energy resources studies were conducted by USGS in various countries during FY 1986. The two types of studies were technical assistance utilizing funds from other Federal agencies (principally AID), international organizations, or foreign governments, and scientific cooperation through bilateral or multilateral arrangements with foreign counterpart organizations utilizing both Survey-appropriated funds and financial resources made available by the cooperating government or organization.

Pakistan. USGS signed an agreement with AID in late 1985 to conduct a technical assistance program for coal resources assessment in Pakistan. The program is a cooperative endeavor by USGS and the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP), and is designed to transfer technology and methodology to Pakistani geoscientists in order to strengthen their capability to independently conduct such assessments in the future.

During 1986, USGS provided a resident-advisor geologist to GSP and 25 man-months of temporary duty (TDY) personnel. Investigations focused on formulation of a National Coal Exploration Plan, initiation of a National Coal Analytical Laboratory System, evaluation and regeneration of the Pakistan National Geodata Center, and design and implementation of a comprehensive exploration and development plan to quantitatively assess the coal resources in southern Sind Province of Pakistan.

Indonesia. The USGS peat commodity specialist worked cooperatively during 1986 with counterpart scientists in the Directorate of Mineral Resources on completing a field study of a peat swamp in Sumatra. A complete peat resource assessment for the region will be completed during 1987, and it will provide guidelines for a national peat inventory, specific detailed studies, and training.

Costa Rica and Honduras. USGS scientists in cooperation with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) conducted assessments of the geothermal energy potential in Costa Rica with counterparts from the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) and in Honduras with personnel of the National Electric Company (ENEE). Two areas in Costa Rica and one in Honduras are considered to have energy potential and have been recommended for additional exploration.

World Energy Resources Program. USGS revised assessments of crude oil, natural gas, condensate, extra heavy oil, tar sands, and oil shale in the PRC, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Burma, Indonesia, southern Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, west Siberia, the Barents Sea, and Mexico. A workshop entitled Resource Assessment of the Circum-Borneo Area was presented to about 30 representatives from five Southeast Asian countries in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Publications were released on petroleum in the Ordos Basin, the North China Basin, the Songhao Basin in China, and the Baltic Basin; undiscovered petroleum resources of South Asia; and global oil assessments and the search for non-OPEC oil.

Miscellaneous Activities. At the request of geoscience organizations, USGS representatives visit foreign countries to discuss possible cooperative energy activities, to participate in energy meetings, or to conduct workshops. Each activity involves expenditures of only a few thousand dollars and a few man-months of effort. These energy-related activities during 1986 were typified by: (1) discussions on coal/peat projects in Cameroon, Mauritania, Mozambique, Thailand, Indonesia, and Costa Rica; (2) meetings of the Circum-Pacific Energy and Minerals Conference in Singapore; and (3) the Petroleum Resource Assessment Workshop in Malaysia and the Coal Basin Analysis Workshop in India.