Safety problems, spent fuel worries, at US nuclear plants

Inspectors Found Preparedness Issues at U.S. Nuclear Plants,  NYTimes.com, By MATTHEW L. WALD May 12, 2011 ROCKVILLE, Md. — Despite repeated assurances that American nuclear reactors are better equipped to deal with natural disasters than their counterparts in Japan, regulators said Thursday that recent inspections found serious problems with some emergency equipment that would have made it unusable in an accident.
In addition, the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission acknowledged that the agency’s current regulations and disaster plans did not give enough consideration to two factors that had greatly contributed to the continuing Fukushima Daiichi crisis in Japan: simultaneous problems at more than one reactor at the same site and a natural disaster that disrupts roads, electricity and other infrastructure surrounding a plant…….
The Fukushima accident has cast new attention on spent fuel pools; the reason the United States government recommended that Americans stay 50 miles from the plant was damage to the spent fuel pool of Fukushima’s Unit 4, a reactor that had been shut down at the time of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami…….Inspectors Found Preparedness Issues at U.S. Nuclear Plants – NYTimes.com

May 13, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Dangers of fire and other threats to US nuclear reactors

On other fronts, the NRC has acquired a reputation for being lenient and too close to industry. For instance, despite compelling evidence after September 11, 2001, that reactors could be vulnerable to terrorist attacks, the NRC still allowed many security gaps. And the NRC has allowed reactors to continue operating despite known design problems and deteriorating equipment that could lead to a loss of coolant and fuel damage. At some two dozen of the nation’s reactors, spent fuel sits in unsecured, above-ground storage pools — a radiological threat underscored by recent events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The potentially lethal waste in those pools far exceeds the stored rods in Japan….

A more likely nuclear nightmare HUFFINGTON POST, By Susan Q. Stranahan, 11 May 11“……..Fires regularly occur at the 104 U.S. nuclear plants, nearly 10 times a year on average. Continue reading →

May 12, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Entergy Nuclear Company – Nonchalant About Safety

It’s frightening that Entergy has such a cavalier attitude toward the safety of their nuclear power plants.  Especially, given the fact that Indian Point and Pilgrim rank as the top two reactors with the highest risk of an earthquake causing core damage.  What would it mean to have a Chernobyl or Fukushima scale accident at Indian Point? 

VIDEO Will Entergy learn anything from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan?   Greenpeace USA by Jarred Cobb – May 6, 2011 Entergy, the company trying to continue running dangerous old nuclear plants like Vermont Yankee, Indian Point in New York, and Pilgrim in Massachsusetts, is holding their annual shareholder meeting today. We sent them a letter highlighting the risks of these old plants, and questioning if the company has learned anything from the nuclear disaster in Japan. Continue reading →

May 8, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment