nuclear-news

1. Chernobyl, Ukraine (1986): $259 billion
2. Fukushima, Japan (2011): $166 billion
3. Tsuruga, Japan (1995): $15.5 billion
4. Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, USA (1979): $11 billion
5. Beloyarsk, USSR (1977): $3.5 billion
6. Sellafield, UK (1969): $2.5 billion
7. Athens, Alabama, USA (1985): $2.1 billion
8. Jaslovske Bohunice, Czechoslovakia (1977): $2 billion
9. Sellafield, UK (1968): $1.9 billion
10. Sellafield, UK (1971): $1.3 billion
11. Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA (1986): $1.2 billion
12. Chapelcross, UK (1967): $1.1 billion
13. Chernobyl, Ukraine (1982): $1.1 billion
14. Pickering, Canada (1983): $1 billion
15. Sellafield, UK (1973): $1 billion

A new study of 216 nuclear energy accidents and incidents crunches twice as much data as the previously best review, predicting that

“The next nuclear accident may be much sooner or more severe than the public realizes.”

The study points to two significant issues in the current assessment of nuclear safety. First, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) serves the dual masters of overseeing the industry and promoting nuclear energy. Second, the primary tool used to assess the risk of nuclear incidents suffers from blind spots.

The conflict of interest in the first issue is clear. The second issue may not be transparent to the layperson until they understand more fully how industry conducts the probabilistic safety assessments (PSAs) which are the source of the standard predictions of the risk of nuclear accidents. …….http://www.treehugger.com/energy-disasters/15-costliest-nuclear-disasters-and-nuclear-risks-future.html