Most European nuclear reactors unprepared for disasters
OCT 09, 2012
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026421
New Scientist : In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that caused the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant , a European safety commission has found that most European reactors are similarly ill-prepared. According to the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group, 121 of the 145 plants in their study did not have any useful seismometers, and 32 lacked venting systems to release pressure if primary cooling systems failed, which is what led to the main reactor damage at Fukushima. More than half of the plants did not have the right equipment to cope with serious disasters, and 24 had no backup emergency control rooms. Despite the findings, the study concluded that none of the reactors needed to be shut down because of safety concerns, but nuclear plant operators have been asked to produce roadmaps to improve safety by the end of the year.
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
