Fix Fire Safety Problems at U.S. Power Reactors
A fire at a power reactor could lead to a serious accident and a release of deadly radiation—yet many reactors are not following fire safety regulations. UCS is working to change this.
In 1975, the Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama had a fire in an area that housed thousands of electrical cables used to power critical equipment throughout the plant. The fire disabled the emergency core cooling systems on Unit 1. Water dropped within inches of the reactor core before ad hoc actions by operators regained control, averting a potential reactor meltdown and the deadly release of radioactive material.
In 1980, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) adopted regulations to prevent another Browns Ferry-type incident. The regulations stated that electrical cables for a safety system and its back-up system had to be separated by a distance of 20 feet or the cables had to be wrapped in material that could withstand a fire for at least one hour.
Today, the NRC and the nation's nuclear plant operators are woefully ignoring these critical fire safety regulations. This despite the fact that the industry's own risk assessment considers fire to be the greatest risk in a nuclear plant's operations. A 1992 whistleblower's report and a 1993 NRC test found that the most prevalently used fire retardant cable wraps are deficient and fail within minutes of being exposed to fire, as opposed to the required one hour. Rather than replace the deficient fire wraps, owners are often substituting illegal manual actions to maintain redundant systems.
In January, 2008, the NRC's Inspector General reported that the NRC has repeatedly ignored fire safety violations over the past 15 years. The US Government Accountability Office issued a similar report in June 2008. This past July, NRC Commissioner Gregory Jaczko testified that it is unlikely that any of the nation's 104 operating nuclear power plants are in compliance with the 1980 regulations.
In the 33 years since the Browns Ferry incident, the risk of a fire at a U.S. nuclear power plant with potentially deadly consequences remains unacceptably high.
Action
Please contact the NRC commissioners to urge the NRC to protect the public and vigorously enforce its fire protection regulations.
Dr. Dale E. Klein, Chairman
Commissioner Gregory B. Jackzo
Commissioner Peter B. Lyons
Commissioner Kristine L. Svinicki
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001
(301) 415-1750
SECY@nrc.gov
