In a span of two weeks, the East Coast of North American was struck by a substantial earthquake and a Category 2 Hurricane. As the remnants of Hurricane Irene head for cooler waters of the North Atlantic, residents from the states of North Carolina to Maine are left to clean up the debris. Though not as destructive as many forecasters had predicted, Irene still claimed the lives of 40 people in the United States, causing considerable flood damage and leaving millions without electricity and in need of disaster restoration as of the Monday following the storm. Both the hurricane and the earthquake raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants.
Nuclear Power Plants VS Hurricane Irene
The majority of nuclear power plants held out well during the storm. Others were forced to reduce power during the storm in accordance with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidelines. In Maryland, Hurricane Irene’s 90 mph + gusts ripped a piece of aluminum siding from a building and sent it crashing into an isolation transformer at the nearby Constellations’ Calvert Cliffs Plant. The resulting explosion knocked out one the plant’s reactors. Irene also forced the shutdown of a second reactor in New Jersey. In this case, the shutdown was ordered as a precaution.
Nuclear Power Plants VS Earthquake
The 5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Virginia on August 23 was the most powerful quake to strike the East Coast in almost 70 years. The intensity of the quake has brought into question the safety of nuclear power plants and particularly those along the coast. The Nuclear Regulatory Committee is sending more inspectors to one nuclear plant in Virginia to carry out additional inspections. Though the NCR reported “no significant damage to safety systems,” there are indications that some of these plants received a stronger shake than what they were designed to withstand. Makes you wonder how well these nuclear plants would hold up in the wake of earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.0 and over. Fortunately, the NRC plans to conduct additional studies to explore exactly that scenario.
U.S. nuclear power plants are designed to withstand high winds and heavy rains. They have weathered these two powerful natural events well. Public concerns about their safety have been allayed. One issue still remains to be addressed: what impact will even more powerful storms have on electric motor power grids feeding theses nuclear power plants? With our rapidly changing planet, that is a question that deserves immediate attention.
