Official Russian report reveals safety problems at nuclear power plants

[Lars77]

Source: Friends of the earth Norway

A report from Rosatom reveals safety problems at Russian nuclear power plants. Russian and Norwegian environmentalists are disturbed over the report’s conclusions. - This looks even worse than we anticipated, but at least presenting these safety flaws is an important step, says Yuri Ivanov in Kola Environmental Center.

Ivanov and the other partners in the international network DecomAtom - Green World, Za Prirodu and Naturvernforbundet - work together to promote decommissioning plans for Russia’s oldest operating nuclear reactors. Safety issues are one of the reasons these reactors should close as soon as possible.

Yesterday, the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported about a new report from the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, describing major security flaws in its nuclear power plants. Aftenposten writes that the report was presented to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev personally last week. The safety evaluation was done after the earthquake in Japan and the subsequent nuclear accident in Fukushima.

Read more: http://naturvernforbundet.no/international/news/official-russian-report-reveals-safety-problems-at-nuclear-power-plants-article24956-191.html

[Lars77]

1. HELSINGIN SANOMAT (Finland)

Russian officials: numerous shortcomings at nuclear plants near Finland Inspection report leaked to Norwegian newspaper

Inspections of Russian nuclear power plants have revealed serious shortcomings in the safety of the plants – particularly in the preparations for earthquakes and other natural disasters.
The difficulties emerge in a report by the Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, which was acquired by the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.
The paper wrote on Sunday that many of the problems apply to Russian nuclear installations in general. However, the greatest risks are in old reactors located in areas near Finland and Norway – on the Kola Peninsula and the St. Petersburg region.

In several countries, including Russia, nuclear power plants have undergone “stress tests” following the nuclear accident which occurred at the Japanese plant in Fukushima in March.
Keijo Valtonen, an official at the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Finland (STUK), expects that the results of the inspections conducted in Russia will be available in Finland soon.
Valtonen says that most of Russia’s nuclear plants meet Western safety standards, but that new threats might arise in inspections made after the leaks in Fukushima. He notes that earthquake risks for nuclear plants are always assessed locally, which is why the risks vary according to the location of the plant.

[AndyTiedye]

4. Stress Tests? Yikes! What Happens If the Reactor Fails the Stress Test? (Can You say Chernobly?)

:nuke: :hide:

[PoliticAverse]

2. They're still operating several of the same model plants as the Chernobyl reactor...

(although they did add some safety features):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RBMK-1000

[KoKo]

6. True...but so are we here in America and a new report is just out about how

our plants are suffering seriously under-reported malfunctions due to corrosion, bad parts, lack of maintenance and other issues. But, apparently the regulatory agencies kept changing the regs to get around the malfunctions, corrosion issues and the rest.

It's just out in my Hometown Newspaper today with report from AP on it.

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[KoKo]

7. "Nulear Safety Rules Wane" (AP Special Report on State of US Nuclear Plants)

Article points out safety issues across America...my newspaper had a section on my area which is North Carolina...but there are so many others.

------------
Nuclear safety rules wane
BY JEFF DONN - Associated Press
Published in: National

LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. Federal regulators have been working closely with the nuclear power industry to keep the nation's aging reactors operating within safety standards by repeatedly weakening those standards, or simply failing to enforce them, an investigation by The Associated Press has found.

Time after time, officials at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission have decided that original regulations were too strict, arguing that safety margins could be eased without peril, according to records and interviews.

The result? Rising fears that these accommodations by the NRC are significantly undermining safety - and inching the reactors closer to an accident that could harm the public and jeopardize the future of nuclear power in the United States.

Examples abound. When valves leaked, more leakage was allowed. When rampant cracking caused radioactive leaks from steam generator tubing, an easier test of the tubes was devised, so plants could meet standards.

Failed cables. Busted seals. Broken nozzles, clogged screens, cracked concrete, dented containers, corroded metals and rusty underground pipes - all of these and thousands of other problems linked to aging were uncovered in the AP's yearlong investigation. And all of them could escalate dangers in the event of an accident.

MUCH MORE AT.......
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/06/20/1285720/nuclear-safety-rules-wane.html

[AndyTiedye]

3. Kicked and Recommended

The pro-nuke unrec'ing crew has been at this one.
They want to bury any bad news about nuclear, anywhere.

After Fukushima, they are in full damage control mode.

[DeSwiss]

5. K&R

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