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Droning On Over Nuclear Power Plantsby Moderator |
Monika Coflin
Technical Assistant
Division of Security Policy
Technical Assistant
Division of Security Policy
Drones,
or unmanned aerial vehicles, have been in the news lately. Last fall,
unidentified drones breached restricted airspace over 13 of France’s 19
nuclear power plants in a seemingly coordinated fashion. In January, a
drone crashed onto the lawn of the White House. And this week, a drone
was found on the roof of the Japanese prime minister’s office.
Drones
may be fun toys, but they pose a number of concerns. They can be used
to conduct surveillance to gather intelligence about facility security.
They can also be used to deliver payloads that could include explosives.
While the majority of drones currently in use are relatively small,
larger ones are becoming available that could possibly deliver payloads
capable of causing damage to facilities that are not hardened.
Security
experts haven’t yet identified who was responsible for the French
flyovers, but with the prices of drones falling and their popularity
rising, the potential threat will likely continue to grow.
There
are ways to detect and intercept drones, such as jamming radio signals
or using helicopters to pursue encroaching drones. Chinese scientists
are developing a laser weapon that can detect and shoot down small,
low-flying aircraft, and interception drones have the ability to drop
nets over intruding drones. However, there are many legal issues that
challenge the use of these techniques.
The
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a long-standing “Notice to
Airmen” warning pilots not to linger over nuclear power plants. The FAA
has also issued guidelines on where users should not fly drones, but the
industry is largely unregulated as more companies look to use the
relatively new technology in their businesses. The FAA has been working
to craft a comprehensive regulatory framework for drones, following
calls from Congress and the President, and recently issued draft
regulations for the commercial use of drones.
President
Obama likened the drone industry to cyberspace, which has brought new
technologies that U.S. laws are still trying to catch up to.
"These
technologies that we're developing have the capacity to empower
individuals in ways that we couldn't even imagine 10-15 years ago," the
President said, pledging to work to create a framework that "ensures
that we get the good and minimize the bad."
Given
the evolving nature of technology and the need to balance the threat
with the potential benefits of drones, the NRC is actively engaging with
the departments of Homeland Security, Energy, and Defense to move this
government collaboration effort forward. For example, we have reached
out to the FAA to examine available legal and regulatory options, and
attended inter-agency meetings to learn about how other agencies are
addressing potential impacts from drones.
In
addition, NRC will participate in a U.S.-initiated drone working group
under the nuclear counterterrorism umbrella with the governments of
France and the United Kingdom. The NRC has provided, and will continue
to provide, pertinent information on this topic in a timely manner to
its licensees to ensure continued safe and secure operations.
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