The sensational statements in a recent Washington Post article are fully addressed in a recent Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) paper on the seismic safety of nuclear power facilities.
As described in NEI’s information,
Like many scientific and engineering issues that span decades, there is new information emerging about earthquakes, particularly in the central and eastern regions of the United States. The industry and the independent U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission are evaluating this data and this fall will discuss steps that may be taken to update seismic criteria …
“… these increased estimates of seismic hazards would primarily have little impact on previous estimates of the potential damage to buildings and equipment.” This is because the safety margins built into nuclear energy facilities are expected to protect them against earthquakes that are stronger than the design basis for the plant.
Read the detailed content, including seismic safety information about the North Anna facility.
