Concerns mount over safety of reactors and fuel storage as Sandy nears landfall
October 29, 2012 Beyond Nuclear issued this press release concerning the status of US nuclear power plants and Hurricane Sandy.
Concerns mount over safety of reactors and fuel storage as Sandy nears landfall
Nuclear plants become part of the problem when natural disaster strikes
TAKOMA PARK, MD - As Hurricane Sandy lashes the east coast of the US and carves a swath inland, concerns are mounting about the status of both operating and shut down nuclear power plants in its path. Reactors situated in vulnerable locations along the eastern US shoreline, as well as on the Great Lakes, could face unprecedented challenges for which neither the industry nor its regulator are adequately prepared.
“Given all the safety systems are reliant upon offsite power, nuclear reactors in the path of this mega-storm need to promptly shut down because of grid instability,” said Linda Gunter, International Specialist at Beyond Nuclear. “But when they do, they can no longer provide electricity at a time when it is needed most. As we saw with Fukushima Daiichi, when natural disaster strikes, nuclear power plants become a liability and part of the problem. We will be monitoring the situation closely as Sandy makes landfall as there are a number of reactors on the east coast and on the Great Lakes that give us great cause for concern,” she concluded.
“Ever since the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in Japan began, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been busy un-learning the lessons of that catastrophe instead of ordering prompt, meaningful safety retrofits and the shutdown of our most dangerous reactors” said Paul Gunter, Director of Reactor Oversight at Beyond Nuclear. “The NRC and the industry have been dragging their feet over cost concerns, gambling that the odds are against an unprecedented challenge of accidents and natural catastrophe,” he said. “It appears they would rather pay the much higher price later than force the nuclear industry to invest in safety today,” he concluded.
Beyond Nuclear and thousands of environmental groups and concerned citizens across the country filed an emergency petition with the NRC immediately after the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe began, urging that back-up power on high-level radioactive waste storage pools be required. A year and a half later, no such requirements have been implemented.
"High-level radioactive waste storage pools are not connected to back-up power, which means as soon as the electric grid goes down, water circulation pumps stop operating," said Kevin Kamps, Radioactive Waste Specialist at Beyond Nuclear.
"In just several hours after loss of cooling, the pool water can begin to boil. Over the course of several to many days, if the pool water were to boil down to the tops of the irradiated nuclear fuel assemblies, they could quickly overheat, catch fire once exposed to air, and cause catastrophic radioactivity releases to the environment, as pools are not located in radiological containment structures," Kamps added.