Sunday, March 11 marks the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated several regions of Japan and left the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in distress. While the earthquake and tsunami killed and displaced thousands of people, the Fukushima incident captured the media spotlight. While there were no fatalities as a result of the incident at Fukushima, the site has become a case study for the nuclear industry and will continue to be studied for many years. In the year following the events in Japan, the U.S. nuclear industry has taken action to ensure the continued safety of its facilities. In this two-part series, the NIC will explore the specific actions taken by the industry and Duke Energy's nuclear facilities. In this first post, we will explore the industry's actions. The second part will be posted on the anniversary this Sunday, and will include Duke Energy's Fukushima response based on industry recommendations and requirements.
The Industry's Actions
The industry responded immediately to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility, setting in motion its well-established mechanisms for identifying and sharing lessons learned. U.S. nuclear fleets took the follow actions after Fukushima:
- Tested and inspected equipment required to mitigate natural disasters and verified the qualifications of operators and support staff required to use the equipment.
- Verified the ability to respond to a total loss of electric power by confirming that required materials are adequate and properly staged and our procedures can be properly implemented.
- Verified the ability to respond to flooding, including the impact of floods on systems inside and outside the plant.
- Performed walk downs and inspections of important equipment needed to successfully respond to fire and flood events.
- Verified the capability to withstand a total loss of electric power to a nuclear power plant will function even after extreme events. Performed walk downs and inspections of important equipment needed to successfully respond to fire and flood events.
U.S. nuclear utilities conducted thorough walk-downs and inspections of their facilities to ensure they could withstand similar extreme natural events. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) also conducted independent reviews of each U.S. nuclear station. These reviews identified enhancements that have further augmented safety at nuclear power plants. Items identified were either immediately implemented or entered into corrective action programs for resolution. As part of its Fukushima response, the industry adopted a "FLEX" strategy - a diverse, flexible approach to implement the lessons learned from Japan and to address recommendations from the NRC. Many nuclear fleets have begun implementing the FLEX strategy by acquiring additional on-site portable equipment, such as diesel-driven pumps, electric generators, cables and satellite communications gear. Roughly 300 pieces of backup safety equipment have been acquired at 104 nuclear reactors. This supplementary equipment is designed to address the major challenges encountered at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant: the loss of power to maintain effective reactor cooling in three of the site's six reactors. See the Nuclear Energy Institutes' graphic below to see specific examples of the industry's Fukushima response.
Additionally, many experts from the U.S. industry flew to Japan to help with the recovery efforts as well as gather information to incorporate lessons learned for U.S. nuclear facilities. The U.S. industry sent hundreds of radiation detectors to Japan and helped train the U.S. military and Japanese personnel on how to use them. The industry also sent radiation and seismic experts. The nuclear industry has a deeply-entrenched culture of sharing operating experience and lessons learned in the U.S. and across the world. Many of these experts brought lessons learned home, which helped make our safe nuclear facilities safer. To read more about the technical and humanitarian aid these experts continue to offer, click here.
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