What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk

[hedgehog]

"It turns out that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has calculated the odds of an earthquake causing catastrophic failure to a nuclear plant here. Each year, at the typical nuclear reactor in the U.S., there's a 1 in 74,176 chance that the core could be damaged by an earthquake, exposing the public to radiation. No tsunami required. That's 10 times more likely than you winning $10,000 by buying a ticket in the Powerball multistate lottery, where the chance is 1 in 723,145."


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42103936/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

Ya know, I may not ever win the Powerball, and you may never win the Powerball, but I've noticed, sooner or later, someone wins the Powerball!

[wtmusic]

1. I guess Japan won the Powerball.

Wonder what the odds are that global warming will make the Earth uninhabitable in less than 500 years?

Wish I could buy a ticket at 7-Eleven for that one.

[jtrockville]

2. Is an earthquake the only thing that might cause catastrophic failure?

Hurricanes?
Tornados?
Or just a plain old power failure?

After reading Greg Palast's article at truth-out.org the other day, I'm starting to think no one ever tests the backup generators.

[Kennah]

4. Four assholes and an airplane

[jtrockville]

6. Yep, that counts. But what about other "natural" events?

Everyone seems so focused on earthquakes. No threat from hurricanes or tornados?

[Kennah]

8. Oh, I think you're spot on in your concerns about hurricanes and tornados

[hedgehog]

10. No need to worry there, back in the 70's we were assured that

nuclear power was very safe because the containment buildings could take a direct hit from a 747.

[Statistical]

5. The generators ran fine for an hour before being destroyed by the Tsunami.

The backup generator the 47 other plants worked properly.

[jtrockville]

7. Placement of the failed generators wasn't exactly brilliant.

[Statistical]

9. Oh no arguments there.

[jtrockville]

12. The situation would be so much different, if those generators...

had been elevated high enough to have survived the tsunami.

Would we even be having this discussion? There aren't any issues at the other reactors, where the generators survived the tsunami, are there?

[Statistical]

13. Nope they are all "cold and stable". 100 Celsius and 1 atmosphere of pressure.

Hell even if they lost the generators if they could have gotten backup power to the pumps in the first 12 hours we wouldn't be talking about it.

When the hydrogen explosion happened it create a whole lot of problems. It destroyed primary pumps requiring the adhoc attempt to use seawater, it allowed radiation levels to rise, they delays results in core getting way too hot, now they can't reach the spent fuel pools (which are also overheating), etc.

It all snowballed out of control over the hydrogen explosions. Thank god they didn't breach the core but containing the problem now is hundred times more difficult and complicated.

[gauguin57]

3. My state (Pennsylvania) has THREE of the top 10. And TMI isn't even the highest on the list!

Oy vey. I live within 35 miles of two nuke plants (including TMI) and within about 55 miles of another one. And I hate it. I still get a knot in my stomach, all these years later, when I drive near the towers of TMI (and see smoke belching from only two of the four towers, because the second reactor is, well, you know ...).

[thecrow]

11. Reminds me of once when we were looking at properties in PA

Well, we're out there in the pleasant countryside looking at this kind of hillside property.
The agent is going on and on about the Beautiful View and my husband is nodding; I am nodding...
Until the boys run up to the top of the hill and yell out "Daddy! What are those things?"
It turned out the "other" view over the top of the hill was of TMI.
We left rather abruptly.

[gauguin57]

14. Wow ... speak of the devil ... an investigation of the closest nuke to me has been done ...

Yeah, right. Like I believe a word of this crap.

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/362824

Peach Bottom nuclear plant called safe
It has structural similarities to stricken Japanese nuke plants


The Peach Bottom nuclear plant is being analyzed to make sure it can withstand earthquakes, but federal regulators said the review has nothing to do with the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan.
Nor, regulators and industry officials said, should concerns be raised because the York County nuclear plant has the same radiation containment design as the Fukushima Daiichi power station in Japan that has been crippled by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami and is leaking radiation.
Explosions as well as loss of power and coolant water have left operators desperately trying to control two reactors there.
In 2010, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission earmarked 27 nuclear plants across the country for additional analysis because of increased seismic activity where they are located