More
on Texas’ nuclear reactors
David Crane, president and CEO of NRG Energy, said in a prepared statement last week that, “It is not obvious to us that any modifications are necessary to regulatory requirements applicable to either our existing or planned nuclear facilities.”
SouthTexas Nuclear Plant is playing a game of chicken with a hurricane
Via Facebook
From Mark Austin on Texas nuclear reactors:
Texas
reactor checks this week as track on hurricane formed. During an
initial interview last week, Eller said backup systems were located
above ground, though he was unsure how high they were situated.
Hadden and others familiar with the facility said some of the
generators are actually located three feet below ground. And the
NRC’s Uselding said the generators “located at ground level,”
were enhanced five years ago with nine-inch-thick, water-tight doors,
and are routinely tested against a fire hose.
However,
one underground generator was damaged in April 2002 during a heavy
rainstorm. At the time of the flood, the water-tight concrete walls
had been moved for maintenance, Hadden said.
When
asked to clarify whether the systems are indeed located below ground,
Eller said: “The safety systems are located in different locations
throughout each unit. They are completely independent, separate
systems and are all designed to withstand flooding, storm surges,
fires, and seismic events.”
Matthes
said he was not aware that some systems might be located below
ground.
Backup
generators have been especially prone to problems at STP and other
reactors across the country, according to the activists who regularly
review inspection reports available on the NRC website. One generator
was down last August after a circuit breaker failed, Hadden said.
David Crane, president and CEO of NRG Energy, said in a prepared statement last week that, “It is not obvious to us that any modifications are necessary to regulatory requirements applicable to either our existing or planned nuclear facilities.”
Inland Flood Crisis At Texas Nuclear Plant! Texans Weigh In!
Investment Watch Blog,
27 August, 2017
August 125, 2017: MAJOR UPDATE/HURRICANE HARVEY: STP/South Texas Project – 2 Nuclear Reactors.
https://miningawareness.wordpress.com…
In
the wake of Fukushima, it’s been a good idea to keep a close eye on
nuclear plants in disaster areas. So of course a lot of eyes are on
the STP nuclear plant in Texas right now.
This
article from the Bay City Tribune in Texas from before Harvey hit had
the headline ‘STP Nuclear Plant Prepared To Weather Storm’
While
STP may have been prepared to weather the storm, are they prepared to
weather record inland flooding?
From
the article-
“The
plant site is located 10 miles inland and at an elevation of 29 feet,
well above the reach of even a Category 5 storm surge. The plant was
designed with watertight buildings and doors to keep emergency
electric power and cooling systems fully functional. All buildings
housing safety equipment are flood-proof to an elevation of at least
41 feet above mean sea level.”
The
following article on the plants safety in the wake of Fukushima makes
similar points about a hurricane storm surge, but makes an important
distinction about inland flooding from the Colorado river about 2
miles away from the plant, and that the plant is built to withstand a
“worst case scenario” of a 100 year flood on the Colorado River!
A 100 year flood, hmmm…-
From
the article-
“STP
spokesman Buddy Eller said the five-foot-thick, bunker-like concrete
reactor domes reinforced with steel are able to withstand hurricane
Category 5 winds and a 41-foot storm surge…“We’re built to
withstand a worst-case scenario involving a hurricane with combined
wind and a
100-year flood along that Colorado River,”
Eller said. “…we’re located at 29 feet above sea level.”
So
from the above two articles and from the STP nuclear plant spokesman
himself, the plant can withstand a 41 foot storm surge from the
ocean, but being at 29 feet above sea level, that’s only 12 feet of
inland flooding, what they describe as a mere 100-year flood along
the Colorado River…
Let’s
take a look at the river level gauge on the Colorado River at Bay
City, about 10 miles upstream from the STP nuclear plant which is
located 2 miles from the Colorado River-
The
Colorado River at Bay City is forecast to surge 27 feet in the next
two days!
And
considering the river is currently 9 feet above what is forecasted at
this time according to the graph, this is likely to surpass the
record crest of the Colorado River in the next few days. That 100
year flood the plant spokesman talked about which happened in 1913,
cresting at a level of 56.1 feet.
The
highest crest of the Colorado River at Bay City since the STP nuclear
plant began operating was 24.04 feet in 1991-
They
designed a nuclear plant to withstand a 100 year flood on the
Colorado River?
That’s
weak, and stupid for a nuclear plant. And it looks like STP will be
facing a major test in the coming days, and there’s nothing anyone
can do to stop it, for cryin’ in the sink!
TEPCO
was keen to invest in the STP nuclear plant in Texas before
Fukushima:
“Decades
without a major catastrophe and growing interest in low-carbon energy
sources brought the nuclear power industry within grasp of a
renaissance in recent years as utilities from San Antonio to China
looked to nukes as the solution to energize 21st-century population
growth.
That
momentum halted on March 11, when a 8.9-magnitude earthquake
triggered a monster tsunami that both knocked out primary power to a
nuclear power complex along Japan’s northeast coast and washed out
the backup generators, causing a series of explosions, fires,
radiation leaks, and, possibly, meltdowns within most of the six
reactors at the Fukushima nuclear complex…
The
chaotic situation is especially surreal for South Texans because CPS
Energy, TEPCO, and potentially the Japanese government itself, were
among investors lined up to fund expansion of the STP nuclear complex
near Bay City. A partnership between NRG Energy, Toshiba, and federal
contractor Shaw Group (in charge of maintenance at STP), were
preparing to construct two advanced boiling water reactors (ABWR) at
the South Texas Project nuclear complex where CPS already owns 40
percent of STP reactors 1 and 2…”
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