Active fault under Oi nuclear power plant – restart decision is postponed
Decision on fault under Oi nuclear plant deferred http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T121104002958.htm Jiji Press, 5 Nov 12Nuclear regulators deferred a decision Sunday as to whether an active fault runs under Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.
Outside experts who participated in the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s on-site inspection of the plant Friday were divided in their evaluations of whether a crush zone underneath the plant is an active fault. The authority decided to hold another meeting Wednesday.
Mitsuhisa Watanabe, a professor at Toyo University, said he was certain there is an active fault under the Oi plant. But Norio Shigematsu, a research scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Atsumasa Okada, a professor at Ritsumeikan University, said it would be premature to draw a conclusion and called for further surveys.
If the authority determines the crush zone is an active fault, the Oi plant’s No. 3 and No. 4 reactors, currently the only active reactors in Japan, would face a possible shutdown.
The crush zone runs directly under a seawater intake channel to cool the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors in the event of emergencies. If the crush zone moves in an earthquake, the emergency system could become unavailable. In an interim report to the government, Kansai Electric said there are no data suggesting the crush zone is an active fault.
The reactors were brought back online in July. The rest of the country’s 50 reactors remain idled in the wake of the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Salem nuclear plant : no timeline for restarting it after Hurricane Sandy
No timeline for restarting New Jersey nuclear reactor after high wave took out 5 of 6 water intake pumps during Sandy http://enenews.com/no-timeline-for-restarting-nj-reactor-after-high-wave-took-out-5-of-6-water-intake-pumps-during-sandy
November 3rd, 2012
By ENENews Title: No timeline for full power at New Jersey nuclear reactor
Source: Reuters
Date: Nov 3, 2012
Public Service Enterprise Group Inc’s provided no timeline for its Salem 1 nuclear plant to fully start-up after it shut down from superstorm Sandy.
PSEG had not yet connected the plant to the regional grid, but “grid stability is not an issue at this time,” Joe Delmar, a PSEG spokesman said on Saturday. […]
Title: Salem Unit 1, No Timeline For Restart
Source: SimplyInfo
Date: November 3rd, 2012
Reuters is reporting no timeline for restarting unit 1 at Salem after a high wave from hurricane Sandy took out 5 of the 6 water intake pumps. […] It is likely that the widespread outages still going on across the area mean there is less demand for power. It could also be that they are still repairing the intake pumps for Salem yet choose to not publicly disclose the status of this issue.
Japan might shut down its only operating nuclear reactor
AP: Japan’s only operating nuclear power plant may be closed http://enenews.com/ap-japans-only-operating-nuclear-reactor-may-be-closed November 2nd, 2012
NHK, Nov. 2: Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority ha surveyed the country’s only operating nuclear power plant to determine whether a seam under the facility is an active fault. The authority says it may ask the Ohi plant’s operator — Kansai Electric Power Company — to suspend operations, depending on the survey results.
USA’s aging nuclear power plants in need of monitoring
Expert: “There’s another nuclear disaster” if operators aren’t able to connect temporary equipment in flooding http://enenews.com/expert-theres-another-nuclear-disaster-if-operators-arent-able-to-connect-temporary-equipment-in-flooding November 1st, 2012
Title: U.S. nuclear energy safety questioned
Source: UPI
Author: LINYI ZHANG
Date: Nov. 1, 2012
The United States is headed toward a major nuclear disaster unless the government closely monitors aging power plants, safety advocates and activists said. […]
Tuesday’s historic hurricane brought the issue into sharp focus as Oyster Creek nuclear station — one of the oldest nuclear plants adjacent to the Oyster Creek in New Jersey using Mark I boiling water reactor [identical to the containment vessels used at Fukushima Daiichi] — declared an alert because of high water levels. The plant experienced power disruption but backup diesel fuel was able to provide power for cooling.
But experts said if future events become more severe, under-designed protections might fail. […]
If operators aren’t able to connect temporary equipment in flooding, “there’s another nuclear disaster,” said Dave Lochbaum, director of the nuclear safety program of Union of Concerned Scientists, a nuclear oversight group. […]
Oyster Creek nuclear plant did lose cooling of spent fuel during hurricane
NRC: Spent fuel pool cooling lost at NJ’s Oyster Creek nuclear plant during Hurricane Sandy http://enenews.com/nrc-spent-fuel-pool-cooling-lost-njs-oyster-creek-nuclear-plant-during-hurricane-sandy
November 2nd, 2012
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (h/t Anonymous tip):Nuclear Regulatory Commission (h/t Anonymous tip):
See also: Gundersen: I suspect we’re going to see reports of spent fuel pools heating up at New Jersey nuclear plants — The problem is reactors were in refueling mode (VIDEO)
UK’s planned new nuclear reactors all too close to Dublin, Ireland
New N-plant closer than Sellafield, warn Greens
http://www.herald.ie/news/new-nplant-closer-than-sellafield-warn-greens-3280668.html By Fiona Dillon, November 02 2012 THE GOVERNMENT is being called on to object to to plans to build a nuclear plant that’s closer to Dublin than the controversial Sellafield site.
Engineering giant Hitachi is in the process of buying Horizon Nuclear Power, which has rights to build reactors at Wylfa on Anglesey, North Wales.
The site is only 118km from Dublin, compared to Sellafield’s 217km. Continue reading
Japan sets 30 Km radius evacuation zones for nuclear accidents
(I understand that the USA evacuation zones have a lower radius. 10 km? – C.M. )
N-accident zones set at 30-km radius / NRA decides to use IAEA standards The Yomiuri Shimbun, 2 Nov 12 The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday issued new guidelines to establish 30-kilometer-radius zones in which intensive disaster-prevention measures will be taken in preparation for a serious nuclear accident.
About 4.8 million people in 135 municipalities are in these zones and will need particular protection under the new guidelines. Previously, only 45 municipalities were affected.
In a simulation released by the NRA on Oct. 24, the spread of radioactive substances from the nation’s nuclear power plants was recorded beyond the 30-kilometer radius in some cases.
The NRA, however, decided not to expand the key zones beyond the 30-kilometer mark, sticking to the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Within this year, the NRA will set such standards as radiation levels to determine at what level it would be necessary to evacuate residents.
Local governments, which could be affected in a nuclear plant disaster, will draw up disaster-prevention plans by the end of March….. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy national/T121031003759.htm
American nuclear reactors similar to Fukushima ones do not have emergency filtered vents
A Hard Look at U.S. Reactor Hardware After Fukushima NYT, By MATTHEW L. WALD, 2 Nov 12 Over the objections of the nuclear industry, the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is planning to recommend the adoption of a new rule requiring American reactors similar to the ones at Fukushima Daiichi to install emergency vents with filters on them.
The filtered vents would be required on two of the oldest reactor designs sold by General Electric. The idea is that their containments could be opened early in an accident to vent a puff of slightly radioactive gas and explosive hydrogen and thus prevent a buildup in pressure or explosions as an accident unfolds. The reactors did not have such vents originally, but most of the oldest models, equipped with Mark I containments, added vents in the early 1990’s.
After the Fukushima accident of March 2011, the commission ordered that vents be added to Mark II reactors as well but told its staff to quickly study whether filtered ones were necessary.
The United States has 23 Mark I reactors, all of which now have vents, and eight Mark II reactors, none of which have vents. None have filtered vents….. Continue reading
New Jersey Nuclear plant only 10 miles from gas fires
Gas fires still burning 10 miles from NJ nuclear plant after Sandy — Official: Devastation can’t be seen from the air… It’s beyond imagination (PHOTOS) http://enenews.com/gas-fires-still-burning-10-miles-from-nj-nuclear-plant-official-the-devastation-is-nothing-that-could-be-seen-from-the-air-it-is-beyond-imagination
November 1st, 2012
Title:Title: New Jersey Natural Gas shutting off service to barrier islands
Source: The Star-Ledger
Author: Seth Augenstein
Date: November 01, 2012
The natural gas fires that have burned for days along the ravaged barrier islands, spanning from Bay Head south to Seaside Park [10 miles north of Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station] and also Long Beach Island, are about to be snuffed by New Jersey Natural Gas, the company said this afternoon. […]
Brick Township (Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)
The company cannot give an estimate of the number of fires that have burned in the devastated areas. […]
In Brick, roughly a half dozen natural gas fires have burned for three days — and are still going — on the township’s 3-mile stretch of barrier island […]
Authorities are now monitoring the gas fires as they wait for a chance to get into the storm-ravaged area. […]
Title: New Jersey Natural Gas to snuff gas fires on barrier islands
Source: The Asbury Park Press
Date: November 01, 2012 at 1:30 PM
[…] Over the past three days, New Jersey Natural Gas has plugged more than 1,300 leaks in those areas. […]
“Our crews did everything we could to save the system,” said Kathleen T. Ellis, chief operating officer of New Jersey Natural Gas. “We were only able to gain access to some of the most damaged areas within in the last 24 hours, and the devastation is nothing that could be seen from the air.
“It is beyond imagination,” Ellis said. “The only safe thing to do is shut down the system.” [.. Watch: ABC 10 miles from NJ nuke plant: We can hear gas lines hissing — Fire dept. says one spark and town could blow (VIDEO)
Unanswered questions about Oyster Creek nuclear power plant
Oyster Creek Nuclear Alert: As Floodwaters Fall, More Questions Arise TruthOut , 01 November 2012 11:38By Gregg Levine, capitoilette | News Analysis New Jersey’s Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station remains under an official Alert, a day-and-a-half after the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission declared the emergency classification due to flooding triggered by Hurricane Sandy. An Alert is the second category on the NRC’s four-point emergency scale. Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the federal regulator, said thatfloodwaters around the plant’s water intake structure had receded to 5.7 feet at 2:15 PM EDT Tuesday, down from a high of 7.4 feet reached just after midnight.Water above 6.5 to 7 feet was expected to compromise Oyster Creek’s capacity to cool its reactor and spent fuel pool, according to the NRC. An “Unusual Event,” the first level of emergency classification, was declared Monday afternoon when floodwaters climbed to 4.7 feet.
Though an emergency pump was brought in when water rose above 6.5 feet late Monday, the NRC and plant owner Exelon have been vague about whether it was needed. As of this writing, it is still not clear if Oyster Creek’s heat transfer system is functioning as designed. Continue reading
USA came all too close to nuclear catastrophe
America’s nuclear safety under scrutiny after Oyster Creek’s Sandy alert
US nuclear regulators model risk from seismic activity or flooding based on past history. That’s leaving way too much to luck Richard Schiffman
guardian.co.uk, 1 November 2012 Oyster Creek nuclear power station was offline on Monday for maintenance, but officials said Sandy’s storm surge came within 6in of damaging its cooling system. Photograph: PR
We know the bad news about superstorm Sandy: the Jersey shore was devastated and many towns remain waterlogged. New York suffered a direct hit, with the city’s mass transit system flooded and part-paralyzed for days to come….. luckily, it did not trigger an even greater disaster at one of the region’s nuclear power plants. But it could have. Continue reading
Is Hanford Nuclear Reservation safe?
Salem and Indian Point nuclear reactors remain offline
Storm-Area Nuclear Reactors Remain Offline WSJ,By RYAN TRACY, 31 Oct 12 Two nuclear reactors in New Jersey and New York that had shut down during superstorm Sandy remained offline Wednesday, but waters receded from one plant that had issued a safety alert.
In Southern New Jersey, Public Service Enterprise Group‘s PEG +0.95% Salem nuclear plant shut down its Unit 1 after experiencing water-pump problems as the storm moved past. U.S. regulators said the pumps were affected by debris and high water levels near the plant.
The company is “developing a repair plan” and will “make repairs as needed to return the plant to safe operation,” a spokesman said on Wednesday, offering no timeline for bringing the plant back to power. Another reactor at the site, Unit 2, is out of service for refueling.
An Entergy Corp. ETR +0.67% spokesman said the Unit 3 reactor at the Indian Point plant north of New York City was still offline Wednesday, though the company was prepared to return it to service “when the grid is ready to accept the power.” The unit shut down Tuesday after an electrical-grid disturbance…. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203707604578090523975335526.html
Oyster Creek nuclear power plant still under alert
http://enenews.com/gundersen-suspect-going-reports-spent-fuel-pools-heating-new-jersey-nuclear-plants-video NRC: Alert still in effect at NJ nuclear plant — High water levels in Oyster Creek’s water intake structure remain
Title: ALERT REMAINS IN EFFECT AT OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
Source: U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Oct. 30, 2012
[…] Heightened coverage will continue at Oyster Creek, a plant in Lacey Township, N.J., still in an “Alert” due to high water levels in its water intake structure. […]
At Oyster Creek, the Alert – the second lowest of four levels of emergency classification used by the NRC – remains in effect as plant operators wait for the water intake levels to drop to pre-designated thresholds. The water level rose due to a combination of a rising
tide, wind direction and storm surge. Oyster Creek was shut down for a refueling and maintenance outage prior to the storm and the reactor remains out of service. Water levels are beginning to subside to more normal levels, but the plant remains in an Alert status until there is enough confidence levels will remain at more normal levels. Offsite
power at the plant is in the process of being restored. […]
Corruption in Pacific rim countries means that nuclear power safety is unlikely
Karamoskos points to an international transparency-and-corruption scale compiled by Transparency International (partially supported by AusAID) as a reasonable indicator of whether countries can take on the complex safety responsibilities of nuclear power. Indonesia doesn’t rate highly on this scale, coming in at 100 of 183 countries on the Corruption Perception Index; Vietnam and Bangladesh are worse, at 112 and 120 respectively. India ranks 95th.
“That’s my first and foremost concern — do these countries have the underlying principles … to foster a robust safety culture?”
Asia’s Nuclear Feeding Frenzy Global Mail By Clare Blumer October 30, 2012
How safe is the Pacific rim, where 100 reactors in 10 years are planned, some in earthquake-prone, developing nations? Ask the fish.
“You can’t decontaminate that forest,” says Australian radiologist Dr Peter Karamoskos about Fukushima, the region of Japan hardest hit by last year’s deadly earthquake and tsunami.
“The stuff is on the ground — in the leaves, in the trees,” he says, referring to the radioactive matter that has blanketed the region since the disaster. Inside the 20 kilometre exclusion zone, radiation from the earth — known as “ground shine’’ — is so bad people are still not allowed to enter. Continue reading
1 This Month
19 November – Webinar – The Reality of Reprocessing
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada) / 2:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM UK / 8:00 PM CET
Register for the Zoom Event Here
Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
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