nuclear-news

Any seismic-related problems at the plant in Covert, near South Haven in Van Buren County, could have a direct effect on Allegan County and reach as far as Holland.

Early data

An Associated Press analysis of pre-quake data shows the risk that an earthquake would cause a severe accident at a U.S. nuclear plant is greater than previously thought.

The review, launched by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before the East Coast quake and the Japan nuclear disaster in March, marks the first complete update to seismic risk in years for the nation’s 104 existing reactors, despite research showing greater hazards.

The report found 27 reactors in the eastern and central U.S. might need upgrades……

Quake: flood and fire

The worry about earthquakes is not so much direct damage to the reactor vessel, the hardened enclosure where the nuclear reaction takes place, but to water tanks and mechanical and electrical equipment needed when disaster strikes. The failure of those systems could disable cooling needed to prevent meltdowns of radioactive fuel….

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/topstories/x26166461/Quake-prompts-questions-testing-at-Palisades-Nuclear-Power-Plant