Japan Earthquake Puts Nuclear Reactor In Spotlight

The earthquake in Japan is putting a spotlight on the nuclear power plantsamong fears a dangerous leak. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was crippled by today's earthquake. Widespread evacuations have been implemented and officials declared a state of emergency. It is being reported that the nuclear plant's cooling system failed to function properly after the nuclear reactor lost power and automatically shut down. Japanese officials said radiation has not yet leaked from the plant, but ordered 2,800 people living around the facility to evacuate their homes as a precaution. The Fukushima plant is near the city of Onahama, about 170 miles northeast of Tokyo.

Japan's nuclear safety agency has reported that pressure inside one of the boiling water reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant had risen to 1.5 times the level considered normal. Hours after the evacuation order, the government announced that the plant, in northeastern Japan, will release slightly radioactive vapor from the unit to lower the pressure. Pressure was rising inside the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear reactor after a backup generator also failed and the cooling system was unable to supply water to cool the reactor, though at least one backup cooling system is being used. The reactor core remains hot even after a shutdown.

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

Nuclear power plants are the most robust facilities in the world and the containment systems should protect the publc from any possible radiation release. That is why you have reactor vessel containment and reactor building containment. Of course, the media will have a field day with any nuclear problem.

Antinuclear activists will surely seize on the earthquake damage to paint the most fearful scenarios. That is too bad because incidents such as this one will surely be used to try to kill nuclear power in America. We suspect the end result will be another success story of how any possible damage was contained inside the containment dome. But by the time the media and the antinuclear activists finish with nightmare scenarios, it probably will not matter. Just like with Three Mile Island.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company. They evacuated about 1,800 residents living within 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi No. 1 reactor as a precaution. According to the Emergency Information Center of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, residents within 10 kilometers were told to stay indoors.

According to the World Nuclear Association, Japanese nuclear power plants are designed to withstand specified earthquake intensities evident in ground motion. The plants are fitted with seismic detectors. If these register ground motions of a set level and systems will be activated to automatically bring the plant to an immediate safe shutdown. (ABC News International, 3/11/2011, Bloomberg, 3/11/2011, WNA, MSNBC, 3/11/2011)

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