Surviving the one-two nuclear punch: Assessing risk and policy in a post-Fukushima world

Abstract

The nuclear industry has claimed that a Fukushima-type event is unlikely to happen in the United States, because few US nuclear power plants are vulnerable to tsunamis. But to some degree, every nuclear plant is vulnerable to natural disaster or deliberate attack, and no nuclear plant can be assumed to withstand an event more severe than the Òdesign-basis accidentsÓ it was engineered to withstand. Many US nuclear plants appear to be subject to greater risks than they were designed to handle, particularly in regard to earthquakes. The author suggests that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission should expand the universe of events that new and existing nuclear plants must be designed to survive and require reactors to be upgraded accordingly.

Worldwide health effects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident

“…43 We chose Diablo Canyon due to its earthquake vulnerability; however, every nuclear plant is susceptible to natural disaster or terrorist attack to some degree. 42…”

“…41 If the plant receives its license renewal, the chance that it will be subject to an earthquake exceeding its ''safe shutdown earthquake'' level is 13%. 42 Furthermore, an inspection of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant by the U.S. NRC following the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi found a series of problems that could impact the ability to respond to a Fukushima-like event, including a susceptibility of the diesel generators to common failures due to similarities in design and location and a lack of training on how to operate diesel generators in adverse conditions. 43 We chose Diablo Canyon due to its earthquake vulnerability; however, every nuclear plant is susceptible to natural disaster or terrorist attack to some degree.…”

Signaled and Silenced Aspects of Nuclear Safety: A Critical Evaluation of International Nuclear Safety Thinking

“…Another safety principle, which was trusted before the Fukushima, is design-basis accidents. There the idea is that the design-basis of a nuclear plant is set by regulators, who determine the necessary level of safety by choosing factors such as the type, severity, and likelihood of the events that the plant must be able to survive (Lyman, 2011). However, Lyman (2011, p. 48) correctly points that, "no nuclear plant, old or new, can be assumed to be able to survive any event more severe than the 'design-basis accidents' that it was designed to withstand."…”

News Analysis of the Fukushima Accident: Lack of Information Disclosure, Radiation Fears and Accountability Issues

“…The Fukushima story gained newsworthiness owing to two specific sets of reasons: The first set is related to the nature of nuclear energy; and the second set is derived from the role of media in times of disasters and crises. There are 436 nuclear reactors across the globe operating in 31 countries (Suzuki 2011), some of which are built on sites of possible destructive earthquakes, or vulnerable to tsunamis (Lyman 2011). The accident had a vast impact on the nuclear industry across the globe.…”