nuclear-news

USA is littered with nuclear sites that could face danger from natural disasters

Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

Massive wildfires in Texas caused operations at the nation’s primary nuclear weapons facility to be paused earlier this week, another reminder that the United States is covered in highly sensitive locations that house nuclear weapons, waste and energy reactors.

The U.S. has more than 3,700 nuclear warheads stockpiled around the country and 54 nuclear power plants in 28 states. And while nuclear energy facilities and weapons sites have always been built with potential natural disasters in mind — whether it was earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes or floods — those disasters stress their support systems and create new worries for safety experts.

As of Wednesday evening, the Pantex nuclear weapons plant near Amarillo was not harmed and safely reopened.

Experts told USA TODAY that natural disasters like Texas’ wildfires typically don’t create an immediate nuclear threat, but they do make carefully caring for nuclear materials more expensive and difficult, increasing safety worries over the long term. Those worries are only compounded by disasters that keep getting worse as the planet warms………………………………………………………….

an analysis of the risks at nuclear power plants done in 2020 by business research and risk firm Moody’s found that costs are likely to increase due to the need to increase protections in a changing climate. That’s in part because nuclear power plants use external water sources for cooling, so most are built near rivers, lakes and oceans, putting them at greater risk of flooding, storm surges and sea level rise.  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/02/28/texas-wildfire-burned-near-nuclear-weapons-site-is-that-dangerous/72772407007/

March 1, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, USA