Resources & Stats

February 2012

Key Facts

• The Great East Japan earthquake of March 11, 2011, and the resulting tsunami caused an accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station that shifted the policy discussion on nuclear energy. Safety issues are always at the forefront of operations and planning for the companies that operate America’s 104 nuclear reactors. The industry responded immediately to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility, setting in motion its well-established mechanisms for identifying and sharing lessons learned. In a matter of days, reviews of safety equipment and procedures were under way at all U.S. nuclear energy facilities.
• Both the industry and the NRC are committed to taking appropriate steps to make U.S. reactors even safer, while ensuring that post-Fukushima actions do not divert attention from the continued safe operation and oversight of these facilities. The industry has acquired or ordered 300 pieces of backup safety equipment at 104 reactors. All companies that operate nuclear energy facilities have committed to order site-specific backup equipment by March 31.
• The independent U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2011 initiated special, focused inspections to verify that nuclear energy facilities are well-protected in the event of a natural disaster. For a more detailed assessment, the NRC established a near-term task force in April to review safety requirements in light of the accident at Fukushima. The task force confirmed there are no safety concerns requiring immediate action and made 12 recommendations for enhancements.
• The Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) also in 2011 independently required a series of preliminary plant assessments in all relevant areas to verify that U.S. reactors were protected from immediate challenges based on lessons learned from Fukushima Daiichi. The preliminary assessments included protection from seismic and flooding hazards, an extended loss of power to vital safety systems, and protection of used fuel in storage at U.S. reactors.
• The industry established the Fukushima Response Steering Committee to coordinate an integrated industry-wide response. As an outgrowth of that effort, the industry developed a strategic plan for implementing the lessons learned from Fukushima Daiichi. The U.S. industry also conducted the first comprehensive analysis of lessons learned from the events in Japan.
• The industry and the NRC are in general agreement on near-term actions, including assessment of seismic and flooding hazards and an assessment of plants’ ability to cope with extended loss of electric power. In addition, the industry has proposed to use a diverse and flexible set of portable equipment and strategies, known as FLEX, which will place emergency equipment at diverse locations at each reactor site. U.S. plants also will be supported by off-site equipment pre-staged at specific locations.
• The NRC continues to review applications for new reactor construction and operating licenses and license renewals for existing reactors and to perform other regulatory actions. On Feb. 9, the commission authorized issuance of a license to build two new reactors in Georgia.

Background
Industry Actions
Within a week of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi, operators at all of America’s reactors initiated a review of safety systems and components to reconfirm their ability to mitigate the effects of the most significant earthquakes, floods and other severe events at their sites. Although there are significant differences between U.S. and Japanese reactors in operations and emergency preparedness, in the following weeks the industry identified and initiated near-term actions that will make U.S. nuclear energy facilities even safer. These measures include precautions to ensure that storage pools for used nuclear fuel rods are protected at all times and site-specific measures to enhance protection of vital safety systems if a site loses power for an extended period. For example, additional portable equipment could be used to supplement safety equipment added after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

The nuclear industry has taken a strategic and comprehensive approach to ensure that the lessons from Japan are systematically gathered, analyzed and implemented. The industry’s Fukushima Response Steering Committee includes senior executives from electric utilities, INPO, Electric Power Research Institute and NEI. The committee coordinates and directs the industry response and will continue to seek and apply lessons learned from Japan as more information becomes available.

“The leadership of the U.S. commercial nuclear industry is dedicated to gaining a deep understanding of the events at Fukushima Daiichi and to taking the necessary actions to improve safety and emergency preparedness at America’s nuclear energy facilities,” said Charles Pardee, chief operating officer for Exelon Generation Co., who chairs the committee.

Regulatory Actions and Industry Interactions
In the days immediately following the earthquake and tsunami at Fukushima Daiichi, operators of U.S. nuclear energy facilities conducted detailed inspections to ensure that all safety equipment was in place and fully operational. The reviews included evaluations of safety and emergency response systems as well as assessments of personnel resources and safety programs.

The inspection process focused on issues that presented major challenges in Japan, including:

• protecting against extreme natural events
• maintaining cooling capability to safeguard used nuclear fuel rods
• mitigating flooding and its impact on systems inside and outside the plant
• ensuring that critical equipment can withstand an earthquake and other extreme natural events
• coping with the loss of all electric power.

The NRC established a task force to review the agency’s safety requirements in light of the events in Japan. The task force concluded that “continued operation and continued licensing activities [at nuclear energy facilities] do not pose an imminent risk to public health and safety,” and developed 12 recommendations to enhance accident prevention and mitigation capabilities and improve emergency preparedness.

The NRC staff prioritized the NRC task force recommendations and added additional items as suggested by the commission and the public. The near-term task force recommendations were divided into three tiers. Those in tier 1 will be implemented “without unnecessary delay” and have the highest priority. Actions in tier 2 depend on the resolution of tier 1 issues, technical resources or require further technical assessment. Tier 3 recommendations will be evaluated later based on the availability of additional information from Japan and the outcome of tier 1 activities as technical resources permit.

The industry and the NRC are in general agreement on near-term enhancements to the safety of nuclear energy facilities, including assessment of seismic and flooding hazards and an assessment of plants’ ability to cope with the extended loss of electric power. The industry approach uses a diverse and flexible set of portable equipment and strategies, known as FLEX, which will place emergency equipment at diverse locations on site, supported by off-site equipment that is pre-staged at specific locations. Both the industry and the NRC are committed to making U.S. reactors even safer, while ensuring that post-Fukushima actions do not divert attention from the continued safe operation and oversight of these facilities.

Industry actions include:

• Acquiring or ordering backup safety equipment, including diesel generators, pumps and emergency response vehicles.
• Enhancing the ability of nuclear energy facilities to remain safe even if there is an extended loss of electric power. The loss of all power sources at Fukushima Daiichi prevented the use of backup cooling systems for the reactors.
• Developing strategies to mitigate external events beyond the design envelope for nuclear plants.
• Implementing improvements to ensure accessible and reliable hardened vents for Mark I and Mark II boiling water reactor containments, thus removing heat and maintaining of pressure control during an extended loss of off-site power. Of America’s 104 reactors, 31 have Mark I or Mark II containments.
• Improving plants’ ability to monitor water level and temperature in storage pools for used nuclear fuel during an extended loss of electric power.
• Assessing the staff needed to respond to a large-scale natural event at multiple reactors at a site and to implement strategies contained in the emergency plan.
• Assessing communications and equipment used during an emergency to ensure that power is maintained during a large-scale natural event.

Industry Builds on Post 9/11 Safety Enhancements
The FLEX approach builds on the industry’s extensive work to enhance security and safety after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

After the attacks, U.S. nuclear energy facility operators began safeguarding plants against a large fire or explosion that could disable vital equipment. Because it was not possible to predict exactly which equipment would be affected, the industry focused on what equipment would be needed to keep the reactor cool if the usual safety systems were not available.

Companies purchased portable equipment—such as small generators, battery packs, pumps and battery chargers—that could be stored and used to respond, regardless of the location of an explosion, aircraft impact or massive fire. The scenario of an unexpected natural disaster is no different. One of the key lessons from Japan is that nuclear plant operators must be prepared to handle extreme events simultaneously at multiple reactors, regardless of the scenario, under conditions that may involve significant disruption of infrastructure. FLEX expands the industry’s multi-layered approach to safety.

NRC Regulatory Activities Continue
Meanwhile, the NRC continues to review and process applications for license renewal of existing reactors and nuclear plant construction and operating licenses. Since the accident at Fukushima, the NRC has renewed licenses for nine reactors, granted a construction and operating license for two reactors in Georgia and is expected early this year to license two additional reactors to be built in South Carolina.