Westinghouse tries to avoid nuclear fallout

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11079/1133331-28.stm

Westinghouse tries to avoid nuclear fallout

Sunday, March 20, 2011
By Erich Schwartzel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The nuclear industry has always specialized in the "What ifs?" that no one wants to think about: terrorist attacks, computer crashes, earthquakes.

The force of Japan's largest earthquake in decades has turned the hypothetical into an unfolding reality, forcing a nuclear industry banking on a lucrative future to grapple with a new what if: What if this sets us back another 30 years?

That's the question being asked at Westinghouse Electric, the Cranberry-based company that planned for a 2011 busy with site construction of its AP1000 reactors in the United States and abroad as nations look for cleaner sources of energy. The calamity at Japan's crippled nuclear reactors, the inability of engineers to control the disaster and the subsequent calls for moratoriums on nuclear plant construction have forced Westinghouse to take on a public relations disaster, construction delays and possible new regulations.

First things first: Did we mention those reactors in Japan were designed by General Electric?

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[grasswire]

1. I don't believe I heard that GE was involved. n/t

[AtheistCrusader]

2. Fukushima plant 1, reactors 1-5 are GE BWR Mark 1's. Reactor 6 is a Mark 2.

[VermeerLives]

3. GE and Westinghouse

GE's only involvement in the Westinghouse reactors might be to provide electrical apparatus, but nothing to do with the design or its implementation.

[mallorjc]

4. First & second

and 40 years ago to an at least 40 year old design?
From Wikipedia: The reactors for Units 1, 2, and 6 were supplied by General Electric, those for Units 3 and 5 by Toshiba, and Unit 4 by Hitachi. All six reactors were designed by General Electric.<2> Architectural design for General Electric's units was done by Ebasco.

Get some facts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_I_Nuclear_Power_Plant
http://www.nei.org/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/
http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/

[madokie]

5. Welcome to DU

Facts don't work with spin very well and spin is what is mostly going on here