List of nuclear power accidents by country

The abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine with the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the distance.

Worldwide, there have been 99 nuclear power plant accidents to 2009, totalling US$20.5 billion in property damages. Most accidents have occurred in the United States. Relatively few accidents involved fatalities.

Overview

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. Because nuclear power plants are large and complex accidents onsite tend to be relatively expensive.

The 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania was caused by a series of failures in secondary systems at the reactor, which allowed radioactive steam to escape and resulted in the partial core meltdown of one of two reactors at the site, making it the most significant accident in U.S. history.

The world's worst nuclear accident has been the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine, the only accident that has been rated as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The accident occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after an unsafe systems test led to a rupture of the reactor vessel and a series of explosions that destroyed reactor number four. The radiation plume spread to the surrounding city of Pripyat and covered extensive portions of Europe with traces of radioactivity, leaving reindeer in Northern Europe and sheep in portions of England unfit for human consumption. A 30 kilometres (19 mi) "Zone of alienation" has been formed around the reactor.

Fifty-seven accidents have occurred since the Chernobyl disaster, and almost two-thirds (56 out of 99) of all nuclear accidents have occurred in the USA. Relatively few accidents have involved fatalities.

France

Nuclear power accidents in France

Date	Location	Description	Fatalities	Cost (in millions 2006 US$)
25 Jul 1979	Saclay, France	Radioactive fluids escape into drains designed for ordinary wastes, seeping into the local watershed at the Saclay BL3 Reactor	0	5
13 Mar 1980	Loir-et-Cher, France	A malfunctioning cooling system fuses fuel elements together at the Saint Laurent A2 reactor, ruining the fuel assembly and forcing an extended shutdown	0	22
14 Apr 1984	Bugey, France	Electrical cables fail at the command centre of the Bugey Nuclear Power Plant and force a complete shutdown of one reactor	0	2
22 May 1986	Normandy, France	A reprocessing plant at Le Hague malfunctions and exposes workers to unsafe levels of radiation and forces five to be hospitalised	0	5
12 Apr 1987	Tricastin, France	Tricastin fast breeder reactor leaks coolant, sodium and uranium hexachloride, injuring seven workers and contaminating water supplies	0	50
27 Dec 1999	Blayais, France	An unexpectedly strong storm floods the Blayais-2 nuclear reactor, forcing an emergency shutdown after injection pumps and containment safety systems fail from water damage	0	55
21 Jan 2002	Manche, France	Control systems and safety valves fail after improper installation of condensers, forcing a two-month shutdown	0	102
16 May 2005	Lorraine, France	Sub-standard electrical cables at the Cattenon-2 nuclear reactor cause a fire in an electricity funnel, damaging safety systems	0	12
13 Jul 2008	Tricastin, France	Dozens of litres of wastewater contaminated with uranium are accidentally poured on the ground and runoff into a nearby river	0	7
12 Aug 2009	Gravelines, France	Assembly system fails to properly eject spent fuel rods from the Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant, causing the fuel rods to jam and the reactor to shut down	0	2

Germany

Nuclear power accidents in Germany

Date	Location	Description	Fatalities	Cost (in millions 2006 US$)
4 May 1986	Hamm-Uentrop, Germany	Operator actions to dislodge damaged fuel rod at Experimental High Temperature Gas Reactor release excessive radiation to 4 km2 surrounding the facility	0	267
17 Dec 1987	Hesse, Germany	Stop valve fails at Biblis Nuclear Power Plant and contaminates local area	0	13
24 Nov 1989	Greifswald, East Germany	Electrical error causes fire in the main trough that destroys control lines and 5 main coolant pumps and almost induces meltdown	0	443

India

Nuclear power accidents in India

Date	Location	Description	Fatalities	Cost (in millions 2006 US$)
4 May 1987	Kalpakkam, India	Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam refuelling accident that ruptures the reactor core, resulting in a two-year shutdown	0	300
10 Sep 1989	Tarapur, Maharashtra, India	Operators at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station find that the reactor had been leaking radioactive iodine at more than 700 times normal levels. Repairs to the reactor take more than a year	0	78
13 May 1992	Tarapur, Maharashtra, India	A malfunctioning tube causes the Tarapur Atomic Power Station to release 12 curies of radioactivity	0	2
31 Mar 1993	Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India	The Narora Atomic Power Station suffers a fire at two of its steam turbine blades, damaging the heavy water reactor and almost leading to a meltdown	0	220
2 Feb 1995	Kota, Rajasthan, India	The Rajasthan Atomic Power Station leaks radioactive helium and heavy water into the Rana Pratap Sagar River, necessitating a two-year shutdown for repairs		280
22 Oct 2002	Kalpakkam, India	Almost 100 kg radioactive sodium at a fast breeder reactor leaks into a purification cabin, ruining a number of valves and operating systems	0	30

Japan

Accidents of note include:

• 1981: almost 300 workers were exposed to excessive levels of radiation after a fuel rod ruptured during repairs at the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant.
• December 1995: the fast breeder Monju Nuclear Power Plant sodium leak.
• March 1997: the Tokai reprocessing waste explosion.
• 1999: a fuel loading system malfunctioned at a nuclear plant in the Fukui Prefecture and set off an uncontrolled nuclear reaction and explosion.
• September 1999: the criticality accident at the Tokai fuel fabrication facility.
• August 2002: a widespread falsification scandal starting in that lead to shut down all of Tokyo Electric Power Company’s 17 nuclear reactors; Tokyo Electric's officials had falsified inspection records and attempted to hide cracks in reactor vessel shrouds in 13 of its 17 units.
• 9 August 2004: five workers were killed after a steam explosion at the Mihama-3 station; the subsequent investigation revealed a serious lack in systematic inspection in Japanese nuclear plants, which led to a massive inspection program.
• 16 July 2007: a severe earthquake (measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale) hit the region where Tokyo Electric's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant is located and radioactive water spilled into the Sea of Japan; as of March 2009, all of the reactors remain shut down for damage verification and repairs; the plant with seven units was the largest single nuclear power station in the world.
• 2008: an earthquake cracked the reactor cooling towers at the Kurihara Nuclear Power Plant, spilling wastewater and damaging the reactor core.

Ukraine

Nuclear power accidents in Ukraine

Date	Location	Description	Fatalities	Cost (in millions 2006 US$)
26 Apr 1986	Kiev, Ukraine	Steam explosion and meltdown (see Chernobyl disaster) necessitating the evacuation of 300,000 people from Kiev and dispersing radioactive material across Europe (see Chernobyl disaster effects)	4,000	6700

United Kingdom

Nuclear power accidents in the UK

Date	Location	Description	Fatalities	Cost (in millions 2006 US$)
8 Oct 1957	Windscale, UK	Fire ignites plutonium piles, contaminating surrounding dairy farms	33	78
19 Apr 2005	Sellafield, UK	20 tonnes uranium and 160 kg plutonium leak from a cracked pipe at the Thorp nuclear fuel reprocessing plant	0	65
4 Jul 2008	Ayrshire and Suffolk, UK	Two British Energy nuclear reactors (the Largs and the Sizewell B facilities) shut down unexpectedly after their cooling units simultaneously malfunction, damaging emergency systems and triggering blackouts	0	10

United States

Main article: Nuclear accidents in the United States

Nuclear power accidents in the U.S.

Date	Location	Description	Fatalities	Cost (in millions 2006 US$)
3 Jan 1961	Idaho Falls, Idaho, US	Explosion at National Reactor Testing Station	3	22
16 Jul 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
28 Mar 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
22 Nov 1980	San Onofre, California, USA	Worker cleaning breaker cubicles at San Onofre Pressurized Water Reactor contacts an energized line and is electrocuted	1	1
25 Mar 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
26 Feb 1983	Fort Pierce, Florida, USA	Damaged thermal shield and core barrel support at St Lucie Unit 1, necessitating 13-month shutdown	0	54
15 Sep 1984	Athens, Alabama, US	Safety violations, operator error, and design problems force six year outage at Browns Ferry Unit 2	0	110
9 Mar 1985	Athens, Alabama, US	Instrumentation systems malfunction during startup, which led to suspension of operations at all three Browns Ferry Units	0	1,830
11 Apr 1986	Plymouth, Massachusetts, US	Recurring equipment problems force emergency shutdown of Boston Edison’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant	0	1,001
31 Mar 1987	Delta, Pennsylvania, US	Peach Bottom units 2 and 3 shutdown due to cooling malfunctions and unexplained equipment problems	0	400
15 Jul 1987	Burlington, Kansas, USA	Safety inspector dies from electrocution after contacting a mislabelled wire	1	1
19 Dec 1987	Lycoming, New York, US	Malfunctions force Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation to shut down Nine Mile Point Unit 1	0	150
29 Mar 1988	Burlington, Kansas, USA	A worker falls through an unmarked manhole and electrocutes himself when trying to escape	1	1
17 Mar 1989	Lusby, Maryland, US	Inspections at Calvert Cliff Units 1 and 2 reveal cracks at pressurized heater sleeves, forcing extended shutdowns	0	120
Dec 1993	Newport, Michigan, USA	Shut down of Fermi Unit 2 after main turbine experienced major failure due to improper maintenance	0	67
14 Jan 1995	Wiscasset, Maine, USA	Steam generator tubes unexpectedly crack at Maine Yankee nuclear reactor; shut down of the facility for a year	0	62
20 Feb 1996	Waterford, Connecticut, US	Leaking valve forces shutdown Millstone Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2, multiple equipment failures found	0	254
2 Sep 1996	Crystal River, Florida, US	Balance-of-plant equipment malfunction forces shutdown and extensive repairs at Crystal River Unit 3	0	384
16 Feb 2002	Oak Harbor, Ohio, US	Severe corrosion of control rod forces 24-month outage of Davis-Besse reactor	0	143
1 Feb 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

Main article: Nuclear safety

File:Iaea-vienna.JPG

IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria

Internationally the International Atomic Energy Agency "works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology." Many nations utilizing nuclear power have special institutions overseeing and regulating nuclear safety.

Civilian nuclear safety in the U.S. is regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The safety of nuclear plants and materials controlled by the U.S. government for research, weapons production, and those powering naval vessels is not governed by the NRC.

In the UK nuclear safety is regulated by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) and the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR).

See also

• Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents

External links

• The Worst Nuclear Disasters TIME magazine