Emergency Sirens: Nuclear Accident Notification Systems Broadly Vulnerable to Grid Power Failures
Nuclear Information and Resource Service: "NRC Denies Public Petition For Battery Back Up Power to Emergency Sirens: Nuclear Accident Notification Systems Broadly Vulnerable to Grid Power Failures
WASHINGTON -- May 20 -- In the event of a nuclear accident or an act of terrorism at a U.S. nuclear power station simultaneously occurring with an electrical grid failure, only 27% of the nation’s 62 nuclear power emergency planning zones using public notification siren systems are prepared to fully operate their emergency sirens independent of the main power lines. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has revealed that 40% of the nation’s siren systems are entirely reliant upon electricity from the grid. Three emergency planning zones do not utilize sirens but rather distributed tone alert boxes. NRC acknowledged that some but not all of the sites without backup power are implementing or plan to implement siren upgrades. The Department of Homeland Security /Federal Emergency Management Agency have been engaged in revising public notification systems since the August 14, 2003 northeast regional electricity blackout. The information was contained in the agency’s denial, issued today, of a public petition requesting emergency enforcement action requiring nuclear power stations to install battery back up power to vital emergency notification equipment.
The petition filed on February 23, 2005 by 17 independent public interest organizations and local governments documents that grid failures as the result of lightning, hurricanes, ice storms, earthquakes and mechanical failures in the electricity distribution system routinely cause a loss of power to community alerting systems around nuclear power stations. Furthermore, the loss of offsite power significantly increases the risk of a core melt accident because of reduced safety systems.
“NRC is ignoring public safety by failing to promptly enforce its own licensing agreements for emergency planning,” said Paul Gunter, D"
WASHINGTON -- May 20 -- In the event of a nuclear accident or an act of terrorism at a U.S. nuclear power station simultaneously occurring with an electrical grid failure, only 27% of the nation’s 62 nuclear power emergency planning zones using public notification siren systems are prepared to fully operate their emergency sirens independent of the main power lines. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has revealed that 40% of the nation’s siren systems are entirely reliant upon electricity from the grid. Three emergency planning zones do not utilize sirens but rather distributed tone alert boxes. NRC acknowledged that some but not all of the sites without backup power are implementing or plan to implement siren upgrades. The Department of Homeland Security /Federal Emergency Management Agency have been engaged in revising public notification systems since the August 14, 2003 northeast regional electricity blackout. The information was contained in the agency’s denial, issued today, of a public petition requesting emergency enforcement action requiring nuclear power stations to install battery back up power to vital emergency notification equipment.
The petition filed on February 23, 2005 by 17 independent public interest organizations and local governments documents that grid failures as the result of lightning, hurricanes, ice storms, earthquakes and mechanical failures in the electricity distribution system routinely cause a loss of power to community alerting systems around nuclear power stations. Furthermore, the loss of offsite power significantly increases the risk of a core melt accident because of reduced safety systems.
“NRC is ignoring public safety by failing to promptly enforce its own licensing agreements for emergency planning,” said Paul Gunter, D"
posted by Greta Jane at Saturday, May 21, 2005
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