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5 nuclear plants' cooling systems may fail during volcanic eruptions

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Could be triggered by any catastrophic event APPARANTLY people!

Earthquakes, waves, NK rockets, massive storms and NK rockets. After Fukushima I am really not happy seeing these back up. Let's be rid of nuclear energy asap.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

"Doh!"-Homer Simpson.

prophetic show!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

And still people will insist that nuclear is the safest form of energy.

Until it's too late.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

How could this be so? Nuclear power is safe and the electric companies have upgraded all their reactors to make them safe. That's what the Japanese news tells me. This must be fake news created by foreign sources.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

With this information why are these nuclear plants back up and running?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

What are the chances of a volcanic eruption?

Most will take much more than a NPP out.

More scare news.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

So we will all die from coal plant emissions that will turn day into night.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Seems a much easier hurdle to overcome than catastrophic earthquake or tsunami damage. Upgrades to air filtration systems are not overly difficult and in any case the plant only actually needs to function long enough to perform a safe shutdown.

The energy industry has done a number on people with terms like "clean coal" which in fact only achieves a reduction in CO2 pollution by around 15% (i.e. still highly polluting). I certainly agree that any nuclear plant which is in a known disaster area should never re-open but there are a handful around the country which aren't. I would much rather see those few plants reopen than increase my risk of cancer as Japan continues to build new fossil fuel plants to kill us all by a thousand cuts.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Additional research and data have revealed that the possible concentration of volcanic ash from huge eruptions could soar up to around 100 times that previously estimated.

So they've upped the safety standards based on new research. Is this not a fairly normal kind of thing?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@Albaleo - it is fairly normal however Japan (pre Fukushima) was operating in a nuclear vacuum controlled by a nuclear mafia (i.e. Hitachi, TEPCO, etc.). Japan has updated many of the safety standards and still has more work to do. They were probably 2 decades (at least) behind the rest of the world in nuclear safety and some of the retrofits that were performed in the U.S. and Europe for BWR plants were not done in Japan. They are doing these now. Unfortunately confidence is lost in Japan's ability to run these plants safely and for good reason. (As I have done in the past I make reference to the NAIIC report, prepared by a Japanese group - link below), about Fukushima, which cites cultural issues, not only technical issues, which allowed the accident to happen. If you read only one page of the report please read the scathing message from the chairman (page 9 of the PDF)

https://www.nirs.org/wp-content/uploads/fukushima/naiic_report.pdf

There are probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) for all types of events (tsunami, flood, fire, etc.) which rigorously challenge the plant's safe shutdown ability to react to an external event. I am sure this will soon be one of the challenges.

I personally believe Japan has a long way to go and should not be running these plants until they can demonstrate to the international community that the really have taken all measures to reduce the risk of an accident in accordance with international standards.

Finally (and I am not defending TEPCO or anyone) for all that are bashing energy companies, I challenge you to live a year without electricity and the use of energy for transportation, etc. I think in this day in age there are very few in developed countries that would take this challenge.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What are the chances of a volcanic eruption?

ever been to kagoshima where the local news has the volcano report every day to advise citizens if it is safe to hang your washing outside.?

ever read the experts report that when the tokai earthquake kills 330000 people as predicted, at the same time fuji-san might erupt, cutting japan in have? but they are only experts.

easier hurdle

ever been to minami soma? go there and take a look.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Japanese mainstream media did not mention about this issue.

Executives of Japanese NRA is full of nuclear industries' related person or beneficiary.

They loosen regulation and radioactivity safe-limit to reduce safety cost.

Japanese authorities are optimistic as same as before Fukushima disaster.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Tokyo-Engr, thanks for the link. Very interesting.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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