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According to a recent survey in the journal ''Energy Policy'', there have been 45 '''nuclear accidents in the United States'''. The most serious of these was the [[Three Mile Island accident]] in 1979. [[Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant]] has been the source of two of the top five most dangerous nuclear incidents in the [[United States]] since 1979.<ref name=db>{{cite_web | author=[[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]] | date=2004-09-16 | title=Davis-Besse preliminary accident sequence precursor analysis | format=PDF | url=http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/vessel-head-degradation/news/2004/09-16-04-ml0426005320.pdf| accessdate=2006-06-14}} and {{cite_web | author=[[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]] | date=2004-09-20 | title=NRC issues preliminary risk analysis of the combined safety issues at Davis-Besse | url=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2004/04-117.html | accessdate=2006-06-14}}</ref>
According to a recent survey of energy accidents, there have been 56 '''nuclear power plant accidents in the United States'''. The most serious of these was the [[Three Mile Island accident]] in 1979. [[Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant]] has been the source of two of the top five most dangerous nuclear incidents in the [[United States]] since 1979.<ref name=db>{{cite_web | author=[[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]] | date=2004-09-16 | title=Davis-Besse preliminary accident sequence precursor analysis | format=PDF | url=http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/vessel-head-degradation/news/2004/09-16-04-ml0426005320.pdf| accessdate=2006-06-14}} and {{cite_web | author=[[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]] | date=2004-09-20 | title=NRC issues preliminary risk analysis of the combined safety issues at Davis-Besse | url=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2004/04-117.html | accessdate=2006-06-14}}</ref>

==Context==
==Context==
Globally, there have been 99 (civilian and military) nuclear power plant accidents from 1952 to 2009 (defined as incidents that either resulted in the loss of human life or more than US$50,000 of property damage, the amount the US federal government uses to define major energy accidents that must be reported), totaling US$20.5 billion in property damages. Property damage costs include destruction of property, emergency response, environmental remediation, evacuation, lost product, fines, and court claims.<ref name=critev/> Because nuclear power plants are large and complex accidents onsite tend to be relatively expensive.<ref name=bksaccident/>
⚫
Globally, sixty-three accidents have occurred at [[nuclear power plant]]s. Twenty-nine of these have occurred since the [[Chernobyl disaster]], and 71 percent of all [[nuclear accidents]] (45 out of 63) occurred in the [[United States]].<ref name=enbiz>Benjamin K. Sovacool. The Costs of Failing Infrastructure ''Energybiz'', September/October 2008, pp. 32-33.</ref><ref name=bksenpol>[[Benjamin K. Sovacool]]. The costs of failure: A preliminary assessment of major energy accidents, 1907–2007, ''[[Energy Policy]]'' 36 (2008), pp. 1802-1820.</ref> The most serious of these U.S. accidents was the [[Three Mile Island accident]] in 1979. According to the [[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]], Davis-Besse has been the source of two of the top five most dangerous nuclear incidents in the [[United States]] since 1979.<ref name=db/>

⚫
Almost two-thirds (56 out of 99) of all nuclear accidents have occurred in the USA. Relatively few accidents have involved fatalities.<ref name=critev>Benjamin K. Sovacool. A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia, ''Journal of Contemporary Asia'', Vol. 40, No. 3, August 2010, pp. 379-380.</ref> The most serious of these U.S. accidents was the [[Three Mile Island accident]] in 1979. According to the [[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]], Davis-Besse has been the source of two of the top five most dangerous nuclear incidents in the [[United States]] since 1979.<ref name=db/>


==History==
==History==
The [[Atomic Energy Act of 1954]] encouraged private corporations in the United States to build nuclear reactors and a significant learning phase followed with many early partial [[core meltdown]]s and accidents at experimental reactors and research facilities.<ref name=bks/> This led to the introduction of the [[Price-Anderson Act]] in 1957, which was "an implicit admission that nuclear power provided risks that producers were unwilling to assume without federal backing".<ref name=bks>[[Benjamin K. Sovacool]]. The costs of failure: A preliminary assessment of major energy
The [[Atomic Energy Act of 1954]] encouraged private corporations in the United States to build nuclear reactors and a significant learning phase followed with many early partial [[core meltdown]]s and accidents at experimental reactors and research facilities.<ref name=bks/> This led to the introduction of the [[Price-Anderson Act]] in 1957, which was "an implicit admission that nuclear power provided risks that producers were unwilling to assume without federal backing".<ref name=bks>[[Benjamin K. Sovacool]]. The costs of failure: A preliminary assessment of major energy accidents, 1907–2007, ''[[Energy Policy]]'' 36 (2008), p. 1808.</ref>
accidents, 1907–2007, ''[[Energy Policy]]'' 36 (2008), p. 1808.</ref>


Nuclear accidents continued into the 1960s with a small test reactor exploding at the [[SL-1|Stationary Low-Power Reactor Number One]] in Idaho Falls in January 1961 resulting in three deaths which were the first fatalities in the history of U.S. nuclear reactor operations.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961337,00.html Perhaps the Worst, Not the First] ''TIME magazine'', May 12, 1986.</ref> There was also a partial meltdown at the [[Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station]] in Michigan in 1966.<ref name=bks/>
Nuclear accidents continued into the 1960s with a small test reactor exploding at the [[SL-1|Stationary Low-Power Reactor Number One]] in Idaho Falls in January 1961 resulting in three deaths which were the first fatalities in the history of U.S. nuclear reactor operations.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961337,00.html Perhaps the Worst, Not the First] ''TIME magazine'', May 12, 1986.</ref> There was also a partial meltdown at the [[Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station]] in Michigan in 1966.<ref name=bks/>
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{|class="wikitable sortable"
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+'''Nuclear power accidents in the U.S.'''<ref>Benjamin K. Sovacool. A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia, ''Journal of Contemporary Asia'', Vol. 40, No. 3, August 2010, pp. 393–400.</ref><ref name=bksaccident>Benjamin K. Sovacool (2009). [http://www.touchoilandgas.com/ebooks/A1ioj0/eandpvol7iss2/resources/134.htm The Accidental Century - Prominent Energy Accidents in the Last 100 Years]</ref>
|+'''Nuclear power accidents in the U.S.'''<ref>Benjamin K. Sovacool. A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia, ''Journal of Contemporary Asia'', Vol. 40, No. 3, August 2010, pp. 393–400.</ref><ref name=bksaccident>Benjamin K. Sovacool (2009). [http://www.touchoilandgas.com/ebooks/A1ioj0/eandpvol7iss2/resources/134.htm The Accidental Century - Prominent Energy Accidents in the Last 100 Years]</ref>
! Date !! Location !! Description !! Fatalities !! Cost <br> (in millions <br> 2006 US$)
! Date !! Location !! Description !! Fatalities !! Cost <br> (in millions <br> 2006 US$) !! [[International Nuclear Event Scale|INES]] <br>rating
|-
|-
| July 26, 1959 || Simi Valley, California, USA || Partial core meltdown at Santa Susana Field Laboratory’s Sodium Reactor Experiment || 0 || 32
| July 26, 1959 || Simi Valley, California, USA || Partial core meltdown at Santa Susana Field Laboratory’s Sodium Reactor Experiment || 0 || 32 ||
|-
|-
| January 3, 1961 || Idaho Falls, Idaho, US || Explosion at [[SL-1|National Reactor Testing Station]] || 3 || 22
| January 3, 1961 || Idaho Falls, Idaho, US || Explosion at [[SL-1|National Reactor Testing Station]] || 3 || 22 ||
|-
|-
| October 5, 1966 || Monroe, Michigan, USA || Sodium cooling system malfunctions at Enrico Fermi demonstration breeder reactor causing partial core meltdown || 0 || 19
| October 5, 1966 || Monroe, Michigan, USA || Sodium cooling system malfunctions at Enrico Fermi demonstration breeder reactor causing partial core meltdown || 0 || 19 ||
|-
|-
|July 16, 1971 || Cordova, Illinois, USA || An electrician is electrocuted by a live cable at the Quad Cities Unit 1 reactor on the Mississippi River || 1 || 1
|July 16, 1971 || Cordova, Illinois, USA || An electrician is electrocuted by a live cable at the Quad Cities Unit 1 reactor on the Mississippi River || 1 || 1 ||
|-
|-
| August 11, 1973 || Palisades, Michigan, USA || Steam generator leak causes manual shutdown of pressurised water reactor || 0 || 10
| August 11, 1973 || Palisades, Michigan, USA || Steam generator leak causes manual shutdown of pressurised water reactor || 0 || 10 ||
|-
|-
| March 22, 1975 || Browns Ferry, Alabama, USA || Fire burns for seven hours and damages more than 1600 control cables for three nuclear reactors, disabling core cooling systems || 0 || 240
| March 22, 1975 || Browns Ferry, Alabama, USA || Fire burns for seven hours and damages more than 1600 control cables for three nuclear reactors, disabling core cooling systems || 0 || 240 ||
|-
|-
| November 5, 1975 || Brownsville, Nebraska, USA || Hydrogen gas explosion damages the Cooper Nuclear Facility’s Boiling Water Reactor and an auxiliary building || 0 || 13
| November 5, 1975 || Brownsville, Nebraska, USA || Hydrogen gas explosion damages the Cooper Nuclear Facility’s Boiling Water Reactor and an auxiliary building || 0 || 13 ||
|-
|-
| June 10, 1977 || Waterford, Connecticut, USA || Hydrogen gas explosion damages three buildings and forces shutdown of Millstone-1 Pressurized Water Reactor || 0 ||15
| June 10, 1977 || Waterford, Connecticut, USA || Hydrogen gas explosion damages three buildings and forces shutdown of Millstone-1 Pressurized Water Reactor || 0 || 15 ||
|-
|-
| February 4, 1979 || Surry, Virginia, USA || Surry Unit 2 shut down in response to failing tube bundles in steam generators || 0 || 12
| February 4, 1979 || Surry, Virginia, USA || Surry Unit 2 shut down in response to failing tube bundles in steam generators || 0 || 12 ||
|-
|-
| March 28, 1979 || Middletown, Pennsylvania, US || Loss of coolant and partial core meltdown, see [[Three Mile Island accident]] and [[Three Mile Island accident health effects]] || 0 || 2,400
| March 28, 1979 || Middletown, Pennsylvania, US || Loss of coolant and partial core meltdown, see [[Three Mile Island accident]] and [[Three Mile Island accident health effects]] || 0 || 2,400 ||
|-
|-
| November 22, 1980 || San Onofre, California, USA || Worker cleaning breaker cubicles at San Onofre Pressurized Water Reactor contacts an energised line and is electrocuted || 1 || 1
| November 22, 1980 || San Onofre, California, USA || Worker cleaning breaker cubicles at San Onofre Pressurized Water Reactor contacts an energised line and is electrocuted || 1 || 1 ||
|-
|-
| February 26, 1982 || San Clemente, California, USA || Southern California Company shuts down San Onofre Unit 1 out of concerns about earthquake || 0 || 1
| February 26, 1982 || San Clemente, California, USA || Southern California Company shuts down San Onofre Unit 1 out of concerns about earthquake || 0 || 1 ||
|-
|-
| March 20, 1982 || Lycoming, New York, USA ||Recirculation system piping fails at Nine Mile Point Unit 1, forcing two year shutdown || 0 || 45
| March 20, 1982 || Lycoming, New York, USA ||Recirculation system piping fails at Nine Mile Point Unit 1, forcing two year shutdown || 0 || 45 ||
|-
|-
| March 25 1982 || Buchanan, New York, USA || Damage to steam generator tubes and main generator resulting in a shut down Indian Point Unit 3 for more than a year || 0 || 56
| March 25 1982 || Buchanan, New York, USA || Damage to steam generator tubes and main generator resulting in a shut down Indian Point Unit 3 for more than a year || 0 || 56 ||
|-
|-
| June 18, 1982 || Senaca, South Carolina, USA || Feedwater heat extraction line fails at Oconee 2 Pressurised Water Reactor, damaging thermal cooling system || 0 || 10
| June 18, 1982 || Senaca, South Carolina, USA || Feedwater heat extraction line fails at Oconee 2 Pressurised Water Reactor, damaging thermal cooling system || 0 || 10 ||
|-
|-
| February 12, 1983 || Fork River, New Jersey, USA || Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant fails safety inspection, forced to shut down for repairs || 0 || 32
| February 12, 1983 || Fork River, New Jersey, USA || Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant fails safety inspection, forced to shut down for repairs || 0 || 32 ||
|-
|-
| February 26, 1983 || Pierce, Florida, USA || Damaged thermal shield and core barrel support at St Lucie Unit 1, necessitating 13-month shutdown || 0 || 54
| February 26, 1983 || Fort Pierce, Florida, USA || Damaged thermal shield and core barrel support at St Lucie Unit 1, necessitating 13-month shutdown || 0 || 54 ||
|-
|-
| September 15, 1984 || Athens, Alabama, US || Safety violations, operator error, and design problems force six year outage at Browns Ferry Unit 2 || 0 || 110
| September 15, 1984 || Athens, Alabama, US || Safety violations, operator error, and design problems force six year outage at Browns Ferry Unit 2 || 0 || 110 ||
|-
|-
| March 9, 1985 || Athens, Alabama, US || Instrumentation systems malfunction during startup, which led to suspension of operations at all three [[Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant|Browns Ferry]] Units || 0 || 1,830
| March 9, 1985 || Athens, Alabama, US || Instrumentation systems malfunction during startup, which led to suspension of operations at all three [[Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant|Browns Ferry]] Units || 0 || 1,830 ||
|-
|-
| April 11, 1986 || Plymouth, Massachusetts, US || Recurring equipment problems force emergency shutdown of Boston Edison’s [[Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant]] || 0 || 1,001
| April 11, 1986 || Plymouth, Massachusetts, US || Recurring equipment problems force emergency shutdown of Boston Edison’s [[Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant]] || 0 || 1,001 ||
|-
|-
| March 31, 1987 || Delta, Pennsylvania, US || [[Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station|Peach Bottom units 2 and 3]] shutdown due to cooling malfunctions and unexplained equipment problems || 0 || 400
| March 31, 1987 || Delta, Pennsylvania, US || [[Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station|Peach Bottom units 2 and 3]] shutdown due to cooling malfunctions and unexplained equipment problems || 0 || 400 ||
|-
|-
| July 15, 1987 || Burlington, Kansas, USA || Safety inspector dies from electrocution after contacting a mislabelled wire || 1 || 1
| July 15, 1987 || Burlington, Kansas, USA || Safety inspector dies from electrocution after contacting a mislabelled wire || 1 || 1 ||
|-
|-
| December 19, 1987 || Lycoming, New York, US || Malfunctions force Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation to shut down Nine Mile Point Unit 1 || 0 || 150
| December 19, 1987 || Lycoming, New York, US || Malfunctions force Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation to shut down Nine Mile Point Unit 1 || 0 || 150 ||
|-
|-
| March 29, 1988 || Burlington, Kansas, USA || A worker falls through an unmarked manhole and electrocutes himself when trying to escape || 1 || 1
| March 29, 1988 || Burlington, Kansas, USA || A worker falls through an unmarked manhole and electrocutes himself when trying to escape || 1 || 1 ||
|-
|-
| March 17, 1989 || Lusby, Maryland, US || Inspections at [[Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant|Calvert Cliff Units 1 and 2]] reveal cracks at pressurized heater sleeves, forcing extended shutdowns || 0 || 120
| March 17, 1989 || Lusby, Maryland, US || Inspections at [[Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant|Calvert Cliff Units 1 and 2]] reveal cracks at pressurized heater sleeves, forcing extended shutdowns || 0 || 120 ||
|-
|-
| December 1993 || Newport, Michigan, USA || Shut down of Fermi Unit 2 after main turbine experienced major failure due to improper maintenance || 0 || 67
| December 1993 || Newport, Michigan, USA || Shut down of Fermi Unit 2 after main turbine experienced major failure due to improper maintenance || 0 || 67 ||
|-
|-
| 14 January 1995 || Wiscasset, Maine, USA || Steam generator tubes unexpectedly crack at Maine Yankee nuclear reactor; shut down of the facility for a year || 0 || 62
| 14 January 1995 || Wiscasset, Maine, USA || Steam generator tubes unexpectedly crack at Maine Yankee nuclear reactor; shut down of the facility for a year || 0 || 62 ||
|-
|-
| February 20, 1996 || Waterford, Connecticut, US || Leaking valve forces shutdown [[Millstone Nuclear Power Plant]] Units 1 and 2, multiple equipment failures found || 0 || 254
| February 20, 1996 || Waterford, Connecticut, US || Leaking valve forces shutdown [[Millstone Nuclear Power Plant]] Units 1 and 2, multiple equipment failures found || 0 || 254 ||
|-
|-
| September 2, 1996 || Crystal River, Florida, US || Balance-of-plant equipment malfunction forces shutdown and extensive repairs at [[Crystal River 3 Nuclear Power Plant|Crystal River Unit 3]] || 0 || 384
| September 2, 1996 || Crystal River, Florida, US || Balance-of-plant equipment malfunction forces shutdown and extensive repairs at [[Crystal River 3 Nuclear Power Plant|Crystal River Unit 3]] || 0 || 384 ||
|-
|-
| February 16, 2002 || Oak Harbor, Ohio, US || Severe corrosion of control rod forces 24-month outage of [[Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant|Davis-Besse reactor]] || 0 || 143
| February 16, 2002 || Oak Harbor, Ohio, US || Severe corrosion of control rod forces 24-month outage of [[Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant|Davis-Besse reactor]] || 0 || 143 ||
|-
|-
| February 1, 2010 || Montpelier, Vermont, US || Deteriorating underground pipes from the [[Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant]] leak radioactive tritium into groundwater supplies || 0 || 700
| February 1, 2010 || Montpelier, Vermont, US || Deteriorating underground pipes from the [[Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant]] leak radioactive tritium into groundwater supplies || 0 || 700 ||
|-
|-
|}
|}

Revision as of 05:14, 8 July 2010

According to a recent survey of energy accidents, there have been 56 nuclear power plant accidents in the United States. The most serious of these was the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant has been the source of two of the top five most dangerous nuclear incidents in the United States since 1979.[1]

Context

Globally, there have been 99 (civilian and military) nuclear power plant accidents from 1952 to 2009 (defined as incidents that either resulted in the loss of human life or more than US$50,000 of property damage, the amount the US federal government uses to define major energy accidents that must be reported), totaling US$20.5 billion in property damages. Property damage costs include destruction of property, emergency response, environmental remediation, evacuation, lost product, fines, and court claims.[2] Because nuclear power plants are large and complex accidents onsite tend to be relatively expensive.[3]

Almost two-thirds (56 out of 99) of all nuclear accidents have occurred in the USA. Relatively few accidents have involved fatalities.[2] The most serious of these U.S. accidents was the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Davis-Besse has been the source of two of the top five most dangerous nuclear incidents in the United States since 1979.[1]

History

The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 encouraged private corporations in the United States to build nuclear reactors and a significant learning phase followed with many early partial core meltdowns and accidents at experimental reactors and research facilities.[4] This led to the introduction of the Price-Anderson Act in 1957, which was "an implicit admission that nuclear power provided risks that producers were unwilling to assume without federal backing".[4]

Nuclear accidents continued into the 1960s with a small test reactor exploding at the Stationary Low-Power Reactor Number One in Idaho Falls in January 1961 resulting in three deaths which were the first fatalities in the history of U.S. nuclear reactor operations.[5] There was also a partial meltdown at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan in 1966.[4]

The large size of nuclear plants ordered during the late 1960s raised new safety questions and created fears of a severe reactor accident that would send large quantities of radiation into the environment. In the early 1970s, a highly contentious debate over the performance of emergency core cooling systems in nuclear plants, designed to prevent a core meltdown that could lead to the "China syndrome", received coverage in the popular media and technical journals.[6][7]

In 1976, four nuclear engineers -- three from GE and one from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission—resigned, stating that nuclear power was not as safe as their superiors were claiming.[8][9] These men were engineers who had spent most of their working life building reactors,[10][11] and they testified to the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy that:

"the cumulative effect of all design defects and deficiencies in the design, construction and operations of nuclear power plants makes a nuclear power plant accident, in our opinion, a certain event. The only question is when, and where.[8]

Three Mile Island accident

President Jimmy Carter leaving Three Mile Island for Middletown, Pennsylvania, April 1, 1979

On March 28, 1979, equipment failures and operator error contributed to loss of coolant and a partial core meltdown of Unit 2's pressurized water reactor at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Pennsylvania. [12] The scope and complexity of this reactor accident became clear over the course of five days, as a number of agencies at the local, state and federal levels tried to solve the problem and decide whether the ongoing accident required an emergency evacuation, and to what extent.

The World Nuclear Association has stated that cleanup of the damaged nuclear reactor system at TMI-2 took nearly 12 years and cost approximately US $973 million.[13] Benjamin K. Sovacool, in his 2007 preliminary assessment of major energy accidents, estimated that the TMI accident caused a total of $2.4 billion in property damages.[14] The health effects of the Three Mile Island accident are widely, but not universally, agreed to be very low level.[15][13]

The TMI accident forced regulatory and operational improvements on a reluctant industry, but it also increased opposition to nuclear power.[16] The accident triggered protests around the world.[17]

List of accidents

Main article: Nuclear accidents by country
See also: Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents
Nuclear power accidents in the U.S.[18][3]
Date Location Description Fatalities Cost
(in millions
2006 US$)		 INES
rating
July 26, 1959 Simi Valley, California, USA Partial core meltdown at Santa Susana Field Laboratory’s Sodium Reactor Experiment 0 32
January 3, 1961 Idaho Falls, Idaho, US Explosion at National Reactor Testing Station 3 22
October 5, 1966 Monroe, Michigan, USA Sodium cooling system malfunctions at Enrico Fermi demonstration breeder reactor causing partial core meltdown 0 19
July 16, 1971 Cordova, Illinois, USA An electrician is electrocuted by a live cable at the Quad Cities Unit 1 reactor on the Mississippi River 1 1
August 11, 1973 Palisades, Michigan, USA Steam generator leak causes manual shutdown of pressurised water reactor 0 10
March 22, 1975 Browns Ferry, Alabama, USA Fire burns for seven hours and damages more than 1600 control cables for three nuclear reactors, disabling core cooling systems 0 240
November 5, 1975 Brownsville, Nebraska, USA Hydrogen gas explosion damages the Cooper Nuclear Facility’s Boiling Water Reactor and an auxiliary building 0 13
June 10, 1977 Waterford, Connecticut, USA Hydrogen gas explosion damages three buildings and forces shutdown of Millstone-1 Pressurized Water Reactor 0 15
February 4, 1979 Surry, Virginia, USA Surry Unit 2 shut down in response to failing tube bundles in steam generators 0 12
March 28, 1979 Middletown, Pennsylvania, US Loss of coolant and partial core meltdown, see Three Mile Island accident and Three Mile Island accident health effects 0 2,400
November 22, 1980 San Onofre, California, USA Worker cleaning breaker cubicles at San Onofre Pressurized Water Reactor contacts an energised line and is electrocuted 1 1
February 26, 1982 San Clemente, California, USA Southern California Company shuts down San Onofre Unit 1 out of concerns about earthquake 0 1
March 20, 1982 Lycoming, New York, USA Recirculation system piping fails at Nine Mile Point Unit 1, forcing two year shutdown 0 45
March 25 1982 Buchanan, New York, USA Damage to steam generator tubes and main generator resulting in a shut down Indian Point Unit 3 for more than a year 0 56
June 18, 1982 Senaca, South Carolina, USA Feedwater heat extraction line fails at Oconee 2 Pressurised Water Reactor, damaging thermal cooling system 0 10
February 12, 1983 Fork River, New Jersey, USA Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant fails safety inspection, forced to shut down for repairs 0 32
February 26, 1983 Fort Pierce, Florida, USA Damaged thermal shield and core barrel support at St Lucie Unit 1, necessitating 13-month shutdown 0 54
September 15, 1984 Athens, Alabama, US Safety violations, operator error, and design problems force six year outage at Browns Ferry Unit 2 0 110
March 9, 1985 Athens, Alabama, US Instrumentation systems malfunction during startup, which led to suspension of operations at all three Browns Ferry Units 0 1,830
April 11, 1986 Plymouth, Massachusetts, US Recurring equipment problems force emergency shutdown of Boston Edison’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant 0 1,001
March 31, 1987 Delta, Pennsylvania, US Peach Bottom units 2 and 3 shutdown due to cooling malfunctions and unexplained equipment problems 0 400
July 15, 1987 Burlington, Kansas, USA Safety inspector dies from electrocution after contacting a mislabelled wire 1 1
December 19, 1987 Lycoming, New York, US Malfunctions force Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation to shut down Nine Mile Point Unit 1 0 150
March 29, 1988 Burlington, Kansas, USA A worker falls through an unmarked manhole and electrocutes himself when trying to escape 1 1
March 17, 1989 Lusby, Maryland, US Inspections at Calvert Cliff Units 1 and 2 reveal cracks at pressurized heater sleeves, forcing extended shutdowns 0 120
December 1993 Newport, Michigan, USA Shut down of Fermi Unit 2 after main turbine experienced major failure due to improper maintenance 0 67
14 January 1995 Wiscasset, Maine, USA Steam generator tubes unexpectedly crack at Maine Yankee nuclear reactor; shut down of the facility for a year 0 62
February 20, 1996 Waterford, Connecticut, US Leaking valve forces shutdown Millstone Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2, multiple equipment failures found 0 254
September 2, 1996 Crystal River, Florida, US Balance-of-plant equipment malfunction forces shutdown and extensive repairs at Crystal River Unit 3 0 384
February 16, 2002 Oak Harbor, Ohio, US Severe corrosion of control rod forces 24-month outage of Davis-Besse reactor 0 143
February 1, 2010 Montpelier, Vermont, US Deteriorating underground pipes from the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant leak radioactive tritium into groundwater supplies 0 700
This list is incomplete; please help to expand it.

Nuclear safety

Nuclear safety in the United States is governed by federal regulations and continues to be studied by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The safety of nuclear plants and materials controlled by the U.S. government for research and weapons production, as well those powering naval vessels, is not governed by the NRC.[19][20]

Licensees (organizations applying for construction licenses or operating licenses for nuclear facilities) are required to show before the license is issued that they meet the requirements of the regulations.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2004-09-16). "Davis-Besse preliminary accident sequence precursor analysis" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-06-14. and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2004-09-20). "NRC issues preliminary risk analysis of the combined safety issues at Davis-Besse". Retrieved 2006-06-14.
  2. ^ a b Benjamin K. Sovacool. A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Vol. 40, No. 3, August 2010, pp. 379-380.
  3. ^ a b Benjamin K. Sovacool (2009). The Accidental Century - Prominent Energy Accidents in the Last 100 Years
  4. ^ a b c Benjamin K. Sovacool. The costs of failure: A preliminary assessment of major energy accidents, 1907–2007, Energy Policy 36 (2008), p. 1808.
  5. ^ Perhaps the Worst, Not the First TIME magazine, May 12, 1986.
  6. ^ Walker, J. Samuel (2004). Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective (Berkeley: University of California Press), pp. 10-11.
  7. ^ Wolfgang Rudig (1990). Anti-nuclear Movements: A World Survey of Opposition to Nuclear Energy, Longman, pp. 66-67.
  8. ^ a b Mark Hertsgaard (1983). Nuclear Inc. The Men and Money Behind Nuclear Energy, Pantheon Books, New York, p. 72.
  9. ^ Jim Falk (1982). Global Fission: The Battle Over Nuclear Power, Oxford University Press, p. 95.
  10. ^ The San Jose Three TIME, Feb. 16, 1976.
  11. ^ The Struggle over Nuclear Power TIME, Mar. 08, 1976.
  12. ^ World Nuclear Association (1999). Three Mile Island: 1979 Retrieved December 24, 2008.
  13. ^ a b World Nuclear Association. Three Mile Island Accident January 2010.
  14. ^ Benjamin K. Sovacool. The costs of failure: A preliminary assessment of major energy accidents, 1907–2007, Energy Policy 36 (2008), p. 1807.
  15. ^ Mangano, Joseph (2004). Three Mile Island: Health study meltdown, Bulletin of the atomic scientists, 60(5), pp. 31 -35.
  16. ^ Wellock, Thomas R. Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective (Book review) The Historian, 22 September 2005.
  17. ^ Mark Hertsgaard (1983). Nuclear Inc. The Men and Money Behind Nuclear Energy, Pantheon Books, New York, p. 95 & 97.
  18. ^ Benjamin K. Sovacool. A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Vol. 40, No. 3, August 2010, pp. 393–400.
  19. ^ About NRC, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Retrieved 2007-6-1
  20. ^ Our Governing Legislation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Retrieved 2007-6-1
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