Karl Herchenroeder
RW Monitor
01/22/16
Using lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi event, America’s nuclear power plants are now “dramatically safer” in the event of a major disaster, having added flexible, mobile cooling equipment.
That was one of the messages Marvin Fertel relayed Thursday at the National Press Club during the United States Energy Association’s 12th annual State of the Energy Industry Forum. Fertel, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a policy organization for the U.S. nuclear industry, spoke at the event, which included appearances by a number of energy executives.
Fertel discussed the implementation of “flex” equipment, which he described as the foundation for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s three-tiered lessons learned from Fukushima initiative. Each compliant plant now has access to a standard set of vehicles, water pumps, motors, and generators. About two-thirds of plants had entered into compliance by the end of 2015, Fertel said, and almost all are expected to be compliant by the end of this year. The initiative also included the addition of two regional response centers, in Memphis and Phoenix, with each location housing five full sets of portable backup generators, pumps, standardized couplings, and hoses. The sets can be deployed to sites in their zones within 24 hours.
“The fundamental thing was to make sure we could get water to the core and pools,” Fertel said. “It dramatically increases safety at the plants, and it’s a very smart way to do it. We’re very pleased with where we ended up on that, and we’re very pleased that the NRC agrees with us on that.”
The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan reportedly caused hydrogen blasts at four of the Fukushima Daiichi’s size reactors after cooling systems failed. The disaster forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of nearby inhabitants and a massive response and cleanup program, and has been linked to serious health issues.
Flex equipment was included in NRC’s Tier 1 post-Fukushima order for all NRC-licensed operators, which addresses issues concerning prolonged losses of power, flooding and seismic activity, staffing needs and communication capability, and confinement and filtering of radioactive material in the event of reactor core damage, among other concerns.
Tier 2 concerns spent fuel replacement, emergency preparedness, and events beside flooding and seismic activity, among other issues. Tier 3 addresses emergency preparedness beyond the first two tiers, including hydrogen control, radiation monitoring, design, and public education. The program is slated for completion in 2019.
