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Bruce Power CEO says Japanese nuclear plant crisis is not a disaster for the whole industry By Liz Dadson |
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That's the word from Bruce Power president and chief executive officer Duncan Hawthorne, who is also chairman of the Atlanta regional office of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). Speaking by conference call to the local press yesterday (March 14), Hawthorne said the Japanese nuclear plant did exactly what it was designed to do in response to an 8.9-magnitude earthquake. However, the tsunami that followed damaged the plant's back-up cooling system and washed away the back-up diesel engines. "You have to bear in mind that the earthquake and tsunami were of record proportions," said Hawthorne. "It was a catastrophic event. Now, the focus is on the safety of the nuclear plant." He said there are six units at Fukushima - three operational and the other three on planned outages. Unit 1 is of major concern because of the low water level in the reactor. "The fuel puts out a tremendous amount of heat," said Hawthorne. "With the increased heat and no cooling system, you get increased pressure in the reactor." To deal with this high pressure, operators have been venting off some of the pressure between the primary and secondary containment units, said Hawthorne. During that process, some hydrogen gas could be present. Hawthorne believes that's what caused the explosion that blew the top off the secondary containment unit - as seen in numerous photos of the power plant. Operators are now cooling the reactor with sea water using fire pumps, said Hawthorne. "The focus is to keep the reactor cool and try to get the water level back up." In response to questions, Hawthorne said the Japanese plant has a "boiling water" reactor design, which is different than the CANDU reactor. The Japanese model requires a lot of fuel and not much water, uses enriched fuel, and has no steam generator. The CANDU reactor requires a little fuel and a lot of water, uses natural uranium for fuel, and has steam generators. Regarding concerns about a meltdown, Hawthorne said provided operators keep coolant going into the reactor, and keep the core covered, there should be no concerns. "There are 15,000 tremors and earthquakes annually in Japan," he said. "This power plant was designed to withstand major seismic events. The containment held up well and that's significant. The key is to keep the reactor cool. There are three operational units at the plant and the operators have to pay attention to them all." As for the impact on the nuclear industry, Hawthorne said there have been scientific responses and emotional responses. "Everybody in the nuclear industry understands that Japan has seismic activity," he said. "It's on the Rim of Fire. It's a high-risk area for building plants. Here, in Ontario, we don't have the same risk in terms of plant design." Hawthorne said in the wake of the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl in the Ukraine, the design of nuclear plants was changed. "After this (crisis in Japan), there will be 'lessons to be learned' for the nuclear industry." He noted that with the Chernobyl accident and the Three-Mile Island partial core meltdown in the United States, the problem was inside the plant. "In this event, it's a response to an external natural disaster." Hawthorne added that the Japanese power plant was designed to withstand an earthquake, as well as a 5.9-magnitude tsunami. The tsunami that hit was a 6.4-magnitude.
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He said there are international standards established for nuclear plant response during natural disasters. "The closest the Bruce site has ever experienced (to the Japanese crisis) was during the black-out in August of 2003," said Hawthorne. "The Bruce plant did its job. All of Bruce B was operational at that time. When it was suddenly disconnected from the electrical grid (black-out), all the cooling systems worked, and the plant withstood a similar situation to what happened in Japan." He said Bruce Power has a standby electrical supply through diesel generators, and a back-up battery power supply. The CANDU unit is an all-water-based reactor. The major concern for it would be a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA), said Hawthorne, so it is designed with several safety features to respond to that. The emotional reaction to the nuclear industry is strong in the wake of the Japanese crisis, said Hawthorne. "The story goes around about a core meltdown, but it's from those who oppose nuclear technology. This is their chance to stick it to the technology and spread their alarmist rhetoric." He said it's important that the facts be allowed to emerge. "The plant responded as it was designed. In fact, the buildings look as if they hadn't been touched by the earthquake, while all around there is total devastation." When asked about the volatility of the fuel bays at the plant, Hawthorne said the operators must deal with the crisis one issue at a time. "For example, if I'm taken to the hospital with a broken leg and a broken arm, and a spike driven into my chest, the doctors will have to deal with the spike first before worrying about the rest," said Hawthorne, adding that the problem in the fuel bay will be dealt with after the cooling of the reactor and restoring the water level in the reactor. As for any assistance from WANO, Hawthorne said that Japan has a mature nuclear industry, with 54 nuclear reactors. "We can help by offering moral support and by explaining the story of what has happened." He added that some employees have been working so hard to deal with the crisis at the plant, that they have not even been home to find out what has happened to their families. "Some employees watched as their co-workers disappeared in the tsunami. It's a very stressful situation. If they need people to provide relief, we're there for them." When asked about alarm systems and emergency plans at the Bruce Nuclear site, Hawthorne said these are a requirement of the operating licence. "We
do emergency plan drills on-site on a regular basis, and we do them
off-site every two years, observed by the regulator," he said. Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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 for
world news,
books, sports, movies ...Monday, March 14, 2011 |
While
the crisis at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan is devastating
for that country, it does not spell disaster for the entire nuclear
industry.
