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Nuclear power faces unexpected dangers, warns Allison McFarlane

The current generation of reactors has already outlived the theory of geology that was prevalent when their sites were chosen, she pointed out; they predate wide acceptance of the theory of plate tectonics — the view that the Earth’s crust is made up of plates that rub and slip against one another.

Head of U.S. Nuclear Watchdog Emphasizes Preparing for Unknown, NYT, By MATTHEW L. WALD
 March 12, 2013 Appealing for a shift in emphasis on nuclear safety, the new head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission warned a gathering of more than 3,000 industry executives, experts and government regulators on Tuesday against relying too heavily on their ability to predict the future, and suggested that when it comes to commercial reactors, the industry and the government should be ready to deal with the unknown.

Speaking two years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan,Allison M. Macfarlane, a geologist who became chairwoman of the five-member commission last July, cited aging nuclear reactors, terrorist attacks and natural disasters, saying, “we don’t know everything about how the Earth behaves, and we must factor this into how we approach nuclear safety.’’

In the past few years the commission has employed a safety technique called probabilistic risk assessment, in which engineers assign probability to equipment failure to determine which accidents are the most likely, and thus which systems and components most deserve improvements…….

In her talk on Tuesday morning at the agency’s annual Regulatory Information Conference in Bethesda, Md., Dr. Macfarlane used an oft-repeated quote, attributed to the physicist Niels Bohr: “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”……

the nuclear industry is moving into the unknown in several ways, Ms. Macfarlane pointed out. By 2017, about half the operating reactors will have exceeded their initial 40-year licenses and will be running on 20-year extensions. The commission is exploring whether some reactors could qualify for a second 20-year extension. But, she said, “there is limited experience to draw from to address life beyond 60 years.”……

The current generation of reactors has already outlived the theory of geology that was prevalent when their sites were chosen, she pointed out; they predate wide acceptance of the theory of plate tectonics — the view that the Earth’s crust is made up of plates that rub and slip against one another.http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/science/earth/head-of-us-nuclear-watchdog-emphasizes-unknown.html?_r=0

March 15, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized