Davis-Besse: 3/16" from Nuclear Disaster
In 2002, a serious problem was uncovered at FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse nuclear power station, located in Ohio along the shore of Lake Erie. Had the problem continued to go unnoticed, it is estimated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that the reactor vessel would likely have burst within 12 months and an accident potentially much more serious than Three Mile Island would have occurred.
 During routine refueling in February 2002, FirstEnergy employees discovered
that a football-sized area had been corroded away on the solid steel cap covering
the highly radioactive reactor
core. FirstEnergy had let the problem go on so long that boric acid leaking
from inside the reactor had dissolved 6 3/4" of solid steel on top of the pressure
cooker-like vessel covering the reactor. The only thing left to withstand the
2,000 pounds per square inch of pressure coming from inside the reactor was
3/16" of stainless steel-bulging ominously at the time. Had this thin piece
of metal given way, a large amount of radioactive coolant would have leaked
from the reactor -- potentially exposing the reactor core itself and resulting
in a substantial release of radiation.
Unfortunately, problems with the reactor type used at Davis-Besse and other safety issues at the site had been well known for over a decade. That Davis-Besse came so close to catastrophe demonstrates the dangers nuclear energy poses due to ineffective or lax oversight and simple human error.
Problems with the type of reactor used at Davis-Besse had been known since at least 1993 and Davis-Besse itself had experienced serious safety problems in the past. Despite the same serious safety problem having been discovered in all six of the other U.S. reactors identical to Davis-Besse, the NRC decided to forego an immediate shutdown and allowed Davis-Besse to operate for several additional months until its next scheduled shutdown for refueling. During discussions between FirstEnergy and the NRC about the shutdown date, FirstEnergy admitted that they had not been able to inspect a portion of the reactor vessel for several years because it was obscured by a crust caused by leaking radioactive coolant-a specific violation of its operating license that should have resulted in an immediate shutdown. Radioactive dust from the crust covering was circulating inside the containment building, which necessitated changing the building's air filters daily, instead of monthly. Despite all of these very serious threats to public safety, the NRC allowed the plant to keep operating in order not to inconvenience its owners.
On January 20, 2006, FirstEnergy (the same company that is blamed for 2003 North American blackout) acknowledged a cover-up of serious safety violations by former workers and entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice, resulting in a $23.7 million fine and $4.3 million in charitable restitution.
Davis-Besse began operating again at full power in March 2004.
photo: USNRC site
 Details on Davis-Besse from the NRC
More on the NRC's failed oversight
Up to Top
HOME |
Email Signup |
About Us |
Contact Us |
Terms of Use |
© 2008 Sierra Club
|
