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Fukushima Response

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeast Japan led to a severe accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility. Within days, the U.S. nuclear energy industry began taking steps based on lessons learned from the events in Japan to further enhance the safety of American reactors.

The U.S. nuclear energy industry responded within days of the accident in Japan, inspecting plants to ensure they could withstand similar extreme natural events. In addition, the entire industry adopted a strategy to ensure that lessons learned in Japan are applied quickly and effectively at America’s reactors. This “FLEX” strategy addresses the major problems encountered in Japan—the loss of power to maintain effective cooling—by stationing another layer of backup equipment in multiple locations, both at plant sites and in other secure locations. This flexible approach builds on existing safety systems to protect against unforeseen events of all kinds.

Every company that operates a nuclear power plant has committed to order new backup emergency equipment. More than 300 pieces of safety equipment already have been installed or ordered.

Following its evaluation of American facilities, the independent U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission declared that the plants pose no imminent danger. To further strengthen plants’ ability to withstand extreme events, the agency required U.S. facilities to install additional instruments to monitor used fuel storage pools, to develop strategies to prevent damage from external events that may affect multiple reactors at a site and, for some reactors, to install hardened vents. The NRC also asked for more information on seismic and flooding issues, on availability of communications equipment, and emergency response staffing for incidents that affect multiple reactors. In 2013, the NRC found that these enhancements were making U.S. nuclear plants even safer.

2013 U.S.-Japan CNO Summit

During the week of September 8, 2013, a delegation of nearly 30 American chief nuclear officers (CNOs) traveled to Japan to meet with their Japanese CNO counterparts. Delegation members shared their impressions and lessons learned from this historic trip on the NEI Nuclear Notes blog and in video interviews. 

Watch the interview below with Jeff Forbes, Executive Vice President and CNO of Entergy Nuclear, who described his visit to Fukushima as "very powerful." 

Hear from Peter Sena, President and CNO of FirstEnergy Nuclear, who reflected on his time in Japan and noted that working in the industry is personal, not just business.

Take a look at our Storify to see all of the online activities around the U.S.-Japan CNO Summit.

Additional Resources

White Papers

• The Way Forward: U.S. Industry Leadership in Response to the Accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
• Making Safe Nuclear Energy Safer
• U.S. Government and Nuclear Energy Industry Response to the Fukushima Accident
• An Integrated, Safety-Focused Approach to Expediting Implementation of Fukushima Daiichi Lessons-Learned

Fact Sheets

• Safety: U.S. Nuclear Energy Industry Responds to Accident in Japan
• Safety: The Nuclear Energy Industry's Highest Priority
• Safety: U.S. Nuclear Energy Facilities Built to Withstand Earthquakes
• Emergency Planning: Emergency Preparedness at Nuclear Energy Facilities
• Nuclear Energy Facilities Reassess Potential Flooding Hazards
• Enhancing Seismic Safety Based on Fukushima Lessons Learned

Videos

• NEI's CNO Tony Pietrangelo Discusses Findings of September 2013 Industry Trip to Japan
• The Post-Fukushima Commitment to Nuclear Plant Safety
• How Is the U.S. Nuclear Industry Responding to Fukushima Daiichi (FLEX)
• U.S. Nuclear Plants Are Prepared to Deal With Emergencies Post-Fukushima