The United States is the worlds largest producer of nuclear power, accounting for more than 30 percent of the worldwide nuclear generation of electricity. Nuclear power is also among the verge of the most expensive, construction on a new power plant in Georgia skyrocketed past the projected expenses by $737 million to nearly $7 billion. In 2012 the approval of the new power plants in Georgia and South Carolina were among the first approved in over 30 years. While these approvals were a major setback for consumers, U. S. PIRG are not giving up.
The United States has 99 nuclear power reactors in 30 states, operated by 30 different power companies. Since 2001 these plants have achieved an average capacity factor of over 90%, generating up to 807 billion kWh per year accounting for 20% of total electricity generated. Nuclear power has always been a very controversial subject in America with multiple instances of harm occurring to neighboring areas. However, government policy changes since the late 1900’s have helped pave the way for significant growth in nuclear capacity.
Government and industry are working closely on expedited approval for construction and new plant designs. The United States was a pioneer of nuclear power development. Nuclear developments suffered from a few major setbacks after the 1979 Three Mile Island accident, though that actually validated the very conservative design principles of Western reactors, and no-one was injured or exposed to harmful radiation. Many orders and projects were cancelled or suspended, and the nuclear construction industry went into the doldrums for two decades.
Nevertheless, by 1990 over 1000 commercial power reactors had been commissioned. Operationally, from the 1970’s the United States nuclear industry dramatically improved its safety and operational performance, and by the turn of the century it was among world leaders, with average net capacity factor over 90% and all safety indicators exceeding targets. This performance was achieved as the United States industry continued deregulation, begun with passage of the Energy Policy Act in 1992.
Changes accelerated after 1998, including mergers and acquisitions affecting the ownership management of nuclear power plants. In February 2014 the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) warned: “Absent necessary changes in policies and practices, this situation has implications for reliability, long- term stability of electric prices, and our ability to meet everyone’s environmental goals. ” Practices have changed in order to ensure that safety measures are taken very seriously and that the prevention of poisonous substances into the atmosphere is minimal.
There have always been heavy threats of radiation because of the harsh substances contained within the nuclear power plants. The United States Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) found that 49 million Americans receive their drinking water from sources located within a 50-mile radius of some sort of active nuclear power plant – inside the boundary the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) uses to assess the risk to food and water supplies. Regulating these certain areas takes many reforms and laws in order to keep the public interest at rest with the outlying dangers of nuclear power.
United States PIRG reported that at least one out of every four U. S. nuclear reactors (27 out of 104) have leaked tritium- a cancer causing radioactive form of hydrogen— into groundwater. The NRC has also ignored clear evidence that nuclear plants deteriorate with age. The nuclear industry continues to push forward with license renewals— keeping old plants open for decades past their original design to withstand. On March 11, 2011 a magnitude 9. 0 earthquake struck an area 230 miles northeast of Tokyo, Japan at a depth of 15. 2 miles.
The offshore earthquake caused serious damage at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, about 40 miles south of Sendai. Three of the plant’s six reactors, which came into service between 1970 and 1979, were already shut down for inspection at the time the disaster struck. Those still in operation are designed to also shut down in the event of an earthquake, with diesel generators pumping water around the reactors to keep them cool, but when the tsunamis floodwaters hit they swamped the generators causing them to fail.
The reactors began to fail. By 8:15 p. m. on March 11, the Japanese government declared an emergency at Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Sunday, March 20, Japan’s National Police Agency said Sunday that 8,199 people were confirmed dead and 12,722 had been reported missing following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the agency reported another 2,612 people had been injured. While building nuclear power plants to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis (and several other severe natural henomenon’s) is a new issue for many Americans, the U. S. nuclear industry and U. S. nuclear regulators have spent a great deal of time developing specific protocols for just such events. American regulators mandate that all U. S. reactors be built not only to withstand the most powerful earthquake ever recorded for their respective sites, but also to withstand the strongest earthquakes that geologists think are possible for each site.
Current earthquake, tsunami, and flooding regulations are now under review, as indicated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In an interview with Allison Macfarlane— the new chair for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a former commissioner for the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future – told her experience full circle by reviewing what the commission accomplished in terms of managing waste and how it will be in the hands of Congress, not the NRC, to move forward and make something substantial of the commission’s efforts.
The NRC will then be tasked with regulating new developments, like centralized interim storage for nuclear waste. Many different interest groups continue to push the NRC in different directions to ensure its well being for the future. Although there are many dangers with using nuclear power the United States profits greatly from it. The NRC is continually working on new was to improve the nuclear power system to ensure the safety and well being of people living in the boundary areas of the nuclear power plants.
