nuclear-news

Need to upgrade USA’s nuclear emergency response

GAO: Emergency Nuclear Response System Needs Upgrade WSJ, By RACHAEL KING , 11 Mar 14, A government report issued Tuesday says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s communication technology may not work in a severe crisis.

The technology is used to transmit data from operators of reactors to regulators and technical experts. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, which issued the report on the third anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, says that unless the emergency data communications system operated by the NRC is upgraded to a more reliable communications system such as satellite, it “may not be available when the need for it is greatest, such as during a severe accident.”

The NRC has rejected calls to make this upgrade a priority. In the event the system fails, telephone communications are adequate, the agency said in its response to the report, which was included in the GAO’s report. The system, known as the Emergency Response Data System, uses a virtual private network to create a secure point-to-point data pathway from each operator site to NRC headquarters. The ERDS lets operators communicate nuclear power plant performance data such as radiation monitoring and containment or the status of reactor coolant and containment systems to NRC control centers.

During the Fukushima disaster, the prolonged loss of power largely disabled Japan’s automated data system, according to the report. Radiation levels afterward prevented direct assessment by plant personnel, making remote monitoring a more valuable tool.
After several fact-finding missions to Japan starting in May 2011, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that greater consideration should be given to implementing systems, communications and sources of monitoring equipment that are able to withstand difficult conditions in order to provide essential information during severe accidents. The agency specifically urged operators to upgrade to satellite communications equipment.

The GAO concurs with those recommendations and is urging the NRC to upgrade ERDS.  …….http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2014/03/11/gao-emergency-nuclear-response-system-needs-upgrade/

March 12, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized