U.S. Regulators Release New Nuclear Safety Recommendations
Within hours of Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s announcement that he wanted to phase out nuclear energy, a special government task force in the United States charted a path forward for nuclear power in the United States Wednesday.
The Japan task force of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission suggested gradual improvements for the 104 U.S. nuclear reactors that would allow them to cope with power outages, spent fuel pools and core melts in the event of an emergency. (See the full PDF-format report.)
(Related: “Energy-Short Japan Eyes Renewable Future“)
The NRC commissioned the 90-day study shortly after the March tsunami that touched off a crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Recommendations in the report include:
• Requiring plants to
