Nuclear regulators want more research on earthquake risk at West Coast plants
Source: Associated Press
Federal regulators Wednesday directed nuclear power plants in California and Washington state to conduct additional, in-depth research into earthquake risks by June 2017, part of a broad review of seismic threats following Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster.
Among commercial U.S. nuclear plants, the Diablo Canyon reactors near San Luis Obispo and the Columbia generating station in Richland, Washington, face "the highest ... hazard" when potential strong shaking is evaluated against the plants' designs, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found.
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Diablo Canyon, which sits within a web of earthquake faults on the California coast, one 650 yards away from the reactors, has faced questions for decades about its ability to withstand a strong earthquake. Last year, a former chief NRC inspector at the plant urged regulators to shut down the reactors until they can determine whether they can withstand shaking from nearby faults, a recommendation rejected by the NRC.
Last year, two Seattle-based groups, Heart of America Northwest and Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, called for shutting down the Columbia plant, citing a report by a nuclear power critic on risk posed by a stockpile of spent nuclear fuel and a potential earthquake. Operator Energy Northwest said the report was marred by errors.
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Read more: http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/05/13/51681/nuclear-regulators-want-more-research-on-earthquak/