Can America’s 104 Nuclear Power Plants Withstand a Fukuyama-Type Meltdown?

By Harry Kelber

It would seem natural for the American people to worry whether any of our 104 nuclear plants can withstand a major meltdown. After all, look what happened to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear reactors. And didn’t we have a combined earthquake and hurricane that might have resulted in a nuclear catastrophe if they had been more intense?

Yet, it is strange how little attention the safety of our nuclear reactors is getting. President Obama in his frequent speeches has not discussed the state of our nuclear energy plants. Neither have any Republican candidates for the presidency. Democrats and Republicans alike have nothing to say about nuclear reactor safety.

The AFL-CIO won’t tell its members that a safety problem exists. Its construction unions favor building more reactors, because it means lots of jobs. They are prepared to gamble that the United States will never suffer the calamity of a major Fukushima-type meltdown.

But there is a disquieting report from an Associated Press investigation that says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) believes that a quarter of the commercial reactors in the United States may need modifications to help them withstand earthquakes.

The A.P. report states that the earthquake dangers faced at the North Anna are seen as 38 percent more likely to cause damage to the cores of the two nuclear reactors at the plant than thought 20 years ago.

A CBS investigation of nuclear reactors focused on the safety conditions at TVA’s Watts Bar facility, the last nuclear plant to be licensed in the United States. Located in Spring City, Tenn., it took 23 years and $8 billion to build. After a flood of criticism (one investigative group documented 5,018 “concerns”) Watts Bar was shut down for a period of years.

Germany to Phase Out Its Nuclear Plants by 2022
Siemens, the largest engineering conglomerate in Europe, announced that it would stop building nuclear power plants anywhere in the world. It came to its decision after learning that the German government intended to phase out its nuclear plants by 2022.

Siemens, which built all of Germany’s 17 nuclear power plants, is the first big company to announce such a shift in strategy. But other companies involved in the nuclear energy industry are reconsidering their options.

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The Coalition Against Nukes will hold a National Day of Action at a flagship rally on Saturday, October 1 at Pier 95 Hudson River Park, New York City, from noon to 3:30 pm. There will be more events throughout the United States.

The Fukushima Daichi meltdown inspired this grassroots action. A statement from the organizers of the rally said: “We stand with the people of Japan, who are suffering this ongoing nuclear disaster. We cannot let this happen here!”