8/30/2011 Fukushima Update–Mini-Fukushima in DC’s Back Yard?

Source: The Paltry Sapien
Date: 8/30/2011
by: Matthew Payne

North Anna Nuclear Power Plant (c/o Wikipedia)

While everybody has been focused on hurricane Irene, the 5.8 scale earthquake that massaged the East Coast has fallen into the public’s rear-view mirror. The public had best do a quick head swivel, however, and pay attention to this odd little geological event. It was not just a bit of rock and roll that cracked the facade of the Washington Monument (insert pithy and wry observation about the metaphoric meaning of that here), it provided a wake-up call, a good tug at the bed sheets, for our sleepy nuclear watchdogs.
...
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8/29/2011 Radioactive cesium in San Francisco Bay Area milk close to exceeding EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level

Source: ENENews
Date: August 29th, 2011 at 02:39 PM

UCB Milk Sampling, UC Berkeley, August 25, 2011:
The MDA was reduced considerably since the last test on August 11.
Milk with best buy date of August 22, 2011:

• Cesium-134 .047 Becquerels per liter (1.27 picocuries per liter)
• Cesium-137 .052 Bq/liter (1.41 pCi/l)

A total of 2.78 pCi/l of radioactive cesium was detected.
“EPA lumps these gamma and beta emitters together under one collective MCL [Maximum Contaminant Level], so if you’re seeing cesium-137 in your milk or water, the MCL is 3.0 picocuries per liter; if you’re seeing iodine-131, the MCL is 3.0; if you’re seeing cesium-137 and iodine-131, the MCL is still 3.0.” -Forbes.com

8/30/2011 Nuclear plant worker dies of acute leukemia

Source: Mainichi Daily News
Date: 8/30/2011

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A worker in his 40s who had been engaged in recovery work at the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has died of acute leukemia, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday.
...
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8/24/2011 (Video) Why did the Virginia nuke plant, built on fault line, have its quake sensors removed?

Source: RT News
Date: 8/24/2011
by: Thom Hartman


[Editor's Note: I extracted the Thom Hartman interview segment with Beyond Nuclear's Paul Gunter concerning the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station which is run by Dominion Generation (the company stock is listed as Dominion Resources). Some disturbing points are brought up. This nuclear power plant actually had its seismic sensors removed in the 1990's due to budget cuts. The Lake Anna Dam, which was constructed on the North Anna River to create Lake Anna, an artificial reservoir to cool the North Anna nuclear plant, was recently inspected for earthquake damage and passed inspection. However, as Mr. Gunter notes, America's crumbling infrastructure has low D- ratings on many of its dams with regards to upkeep, including this one. Also, due to the nuclear power plant being very close to the epicenter of the 5.8 magnitude quake, Gunter feels that damage to the nuclear plant's is likely, such as cracked pipes which in the case of the Dresden nuclear power plant in Illinois, leaked radioactive tritium.

Link to original Thom Hartman interview which includes other segments: http://youtu.be/pRs5RKXoZ6I

Good article that speculates that the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station has been damaged and is possibly leaking radiation: http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/us-quake-nuclear-meltdown-wa...]

8/27/2011 Vehicle crashes into barriers at Comanche Peak nuclear plant

Source: KVUE.com (ABC affiliate)
Date: August 27, 2011 at 7:06 PM
by: WFAA

SOMERVELL COUNTY — Officials at the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant have confirmed that someone crashed a vehicle into security barriers around the facility near Glen Rose early Saturday morning.

The facility reported the "unusual event" to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the property was locked down, according to a statement issued Saturday afternoon.

Luminant, the company that operates Comanche Peak, said the on-site security team used "appropriate security measures" and that a suspect was apprehended.

The company did not say whether the incident was accidental or intentional, nor did it specify what type of vehicle was involved. It was not made clear whether the suspect was injured.

“We are extremely proud of our on-site security team who acted commendably last night,” said Rafael Flores, Luminant’s chief nuclear officer, in a written statement provided to WFAA. “At this point, our primary focus is on the ongoing investigation, and we are working hand-in-hand with the Somervell County Sheriff’s Office and the NRC as they investigate this matter.”

A spokesperson for the Somervell County Sheriff's Office said the department could provide no information about the incident until Monday.

Luminant said the Comanche Peak plant resumed normal operating conditions on Saturday morning. An "unusual event" is the lowest of four emergency levels established by federal regulators.

Comanche Peak began operations in 1990 and has two reactors. It is located 80 miles southwest of Dallas.

Map

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8/28/2011 U.S. Nuclear Reactors Weather Storm

Source: Bloomberg
Date: Aug 28, 2011 5:23 PM CT 
by: Julie Johnsson

More than a dozen nuclear plants in the path of Hurricane Irene along the U.S. East Coast safely weathered the storm’s passage without losing power to their reactors, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
...
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8/28/2011 Hurricane closes Oyster Creek and Calvert Cliff 1

Source: World Nuclear News
Date: 8/28/2011

Two nuclear power plants have shutdown as Hurricane Irene continues to track up the US east coast. Oyster Creek, operated by Exelon in New Jersey, was powered down at around 17:00 EST, Saturday, as high winds approached. CENG's Calvert Cliff unit 1 reactor, based in Maryland, shut down automatically after aluminium debris hit a transformer.

Map of Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station

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Map of Calvert Cliff Nuclear Power Plant

View Live Ustream Radiation Detectors in a larger map

Fukushima worker stalks TEPCO web cam

Source: MaryGreeley YouTube Channel
Date: 8/28/2011 upload date

8/27/2011Factbox: Status of nuclear plants in Hurricane Irene's path

Source: Reuters via CNBC
Date: Saturday, 27 Aug 2011 9:37 PM ET

Nuclear power plants along the East Coast prepared to face the impact of Hurricane Irene on Saturday as the storm made landfall in North Carolina and barreled up the coast.

Exelon Corp took its Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in New Jersey offline at 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it sent additional staff to monitor conditions and storm preparation at the 14 nuclear units from Maryland to New Hampshire in Irene's path as well as a nuclear fuel production plant in North Carolina.

Entergy Corp, which operates the Indian Point nuclear plant in Buchanan, New York, said operations were not affected by the hurricane and the plant remained open on Saturday evening.

Dominion Resources Inc is reducing power at its two-unit 2,111-megawatt Millstone plant in Connecticut ahead of the storm, a company spokesman said on Saturday.

Progress Energy's Brunswick nuclear plant, perched on the North Carolina coast, cut to 65 to 75 percent power late on Friday and does not expect to return to full power until after the storm has fully passed, a spokesman said on Saturday.

Dominion shut down its North Anna nuclear power station because of an earthquake on Tuesday. The two-unit, 1,950-megawatt North Anna plant will remain shut through the storm.

The company's two-unit, 1,598-MW Surry plant in Virginia was designed to withstand winds of 360 mph and is expected to remain at full power throughout the storm, a spokesman said on Saturday.

8/26/2011 Go-Playing Kan Loses as Resignation Sparks Successor Race

Source: Bloomberg
Date: 8/26/2011

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan sparked a succession race after announcing his resignation, undone by a backlash over his handling of the March earthquake and tsunami that spawned the nation’s deepest postwar crisis.
...
Read full article here

Editor's Note: Below is a related RT News video on the topic.


Japan's Prime Minister has formally announced his resignation, paving the way for the country's sixth leader in 5 years. His move follows nationwide criticism of his response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that took place in March, and triggered a nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant. The twin natural disasters claimed the lives of more than 15,000 people, with survivors complaining about slow recovery efforts. A new leader of the ruling Democratic Party, who'll most likely become Japan's next Prime Minister, will be chosen on Monday.

8/26/2011 Newly Released TEPCO Data Proves Fairewinds Assertions of Significant Fuel Pool Failures at Fukushima Daiichi

Source: Fairewinds Associates
Date: 8/26/2011
by: Arnie Gundersen


New TEPCO data measured on August 19 & 20 shows severe damage to the spent fuel in Fukushima Daiichi Units 1, 2, and 3. The adjacent TEPCO table posted on the front page shows incredibly high levels of Cesium 137 and Cesium 134 in all three spent fuel pools of Units 1, 2, & 3. This TEPCO data clearly contradicts and refutes the July assertion by the NRC the Fukushima Daiichi spent fuel pools were not damaged in this tragic accident. Crytome (cry to me) has a new high resolution photo, also uploaded, that shows the extensive damage of the Unit 3 spent fuel pool and the reactor building. Check it out.

TEPCO report on spent fuel pool water in unit 1-4: http://fairewinds.com/content/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-station-analysi...

Photograph of damaged reactor 3: http://fairewinds.com/content/new-build-3-damage-photo-published-crytome

8/26/2011 Nuclear plants in Hurricane Irene's path

Source: Associated Press via Silver City Sun-News
Date: 08/26/2011 02:26:52 PM MDT

Nuclear reactors sit on eight coastal sites along the Eastern seaboard in the projected path of Hurricane Irene. They are built to withstand winds much stronger than those expected from Irene. They are also equipped with backup generators protected from flooding to provide power to keep the reactor cool if outside power is lost. Still, some will likely be shut down as a precaution in advance of Irene's winds and heavy rains.

North Carolina
Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant
Location: Near Southport, N.C., 30 miles south of Wilmington.
Operator: Progress Energy

Virginia
Surry Power Station
Location: Surry County, Va., 35 miles northwest of Norfolk.
Operator: Dominion Resources

Maryland
Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
Location: Lusby, Md., 60 miles southeast of Washington.
Operator: Constellation Energy

New Jersey
Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations
Location: Lower Alloways Creek, NJ, 20 miles south of Wilmington, Del.
Operator: PSEG
Oyster Creek Generating Station
Location: Lacey Township, NJ, 60 miles east of Philadelphia.
Operator: Exelon

Connecticut
Millstone Power Station
Location: Waterford, Conn., 60 miles southeast of Hartford.
Operator: Dominion Resources

Massachusetts
Pilgrim Nuclear Station
Location: Plymouth, Mass., 45 miles south of Boston.
Operator: Entergy

New Hampshire
Seabrook Station
Location: Seabrook, NH, 45 miles north of Boston.
Operator: NextEra Energy