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Author
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Topic: Building nuclear reactors ... in earthquake zones
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VanLuke
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 7039
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posted 24 March 2006 10:54 AM
quote:
A court has ordered Japan's newest nuclear reactor to be shut down over fears about its safety in the event of an earthquake. .. The local residents ... claimed they would be in constant danger of major accidents because it is near a fault line, where government experts say a major quake with a magnitude of 7.6 could strike.There are 55 nuclear reactors in operation in Japan and most of them lie in potential earthquake zones. If the Kanazawa ruling is upheld by the high court, that would place enormous pressure on the authorities to close down other reactors as most designs in Japan are similar and the Kanazawa plant is the most modern and therefore, in theory, the safest, says the BBC correspondent in Tokyo, Jonathan Head. ... The government says it wants to build an additional 11 nuclear plants.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4839970.stm quote:
The industry's reputation for shaky safety has resulted in popular opposition to the power plants - opinion polls show half the public believe the number of nuclear facilities should be reduced.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3548192.stm
From: Vancouver BC | Registered: Oct 2004
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Briguy
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1885
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posted 27 March 2006 10:54 AM
This was surprising to me, but Japan has never experienced a nuclear accident caused by an earthquake. The only reported accident was the 1999 Tokaimura accident, which was (according to the investigation) caused when too much uranium was accidently poured into a nitric acid purification tank. The poured uranium went critical, causing the deaths of two employees and exposing much of the surrounding area, including local residents, to potentially harmful levels of radiation.That said, this report highlights the fact that there were 25 significant incidents in Japan's nuclear power industry in 2001, and that these incidents are largely not reported to or by the media. Furthermore, this quote disturbs the hell out of me, especially considering the direction that Ontario's nuclear industry is taking: quote:
However, what makes Tokaimura’s third anniversary especially important is the recent
revelations of falsifying inspection findings and cover-ups of serious flaws in the last 16 years at 13 nuclear reactors of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO). In accordance with the ritualized apologies that Japanese business culture demands, the president of TEPCO, Mr. Nobuya Minami and four other senior officials resigned. Their ritual is reminiscent of the apologies offered by the JCO and Sumitomo executive, which unfortunately, have not had any noticeable impact on the state of Japan’s nuclear safety culture.
There is no implication of improved safety using a PPP model. If anything, the opposite is true, in that these incidents go unreported and proper safety measures are therefore not implemented after a flaw is revealed. [ 27 March 2006: Message edited by: Briguy ]
From: No one is arguing that we should run the space program based on Physics 101. | Registered: Nov 2001
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