23 Nuclear Plants in Tsunami Risk Zones

A recent study led by European researchers found Fukushima in Japan, damaged by a tsunami, is not alone, as 22 other plants around the world may be similarly susceptible to destructive tsunami waves, with most of them in east and southeast regions of Asia.

The 23 facilities on the list (including Fukushima) house a total of 74 nuclear reactors. Thirteen of the plants are active, while the others are either nearing completion or being expanded to house more reactors.

The researchers say East and Southeast Asia are at the greatest risk of a nuclear crisis triggered by a tsunami because of the rise of atomic power stations in the region, especially in China, which houses 27 of the world's 64 nuclear reactors currently under construction.

"The most important fact is that 19 (two of which are in Taiwan) out of the 27 reactors are being built in areas identified as dangerous," state the authors of the study. Meanwhile, in Japan, seven plants — one of which is currently under construction — are located in zones at risk of a tsunami, and South Korea is now expanding two plants in risk zones, the researchers said.

Discovery News

The problem is, if a tsunami hits a country's power station, its not just that country that is impacted.

As we discovered during the Japanese tsunami, the radiation from a destroyed nuclear power station likes to travel.

The fact that Japan is building a new nuclear power station in a tsunami zone beggars belief.




Mod Edit: All Caps – Please Review This Link.

You are the "Man", or maybe the "Woman" (since I'm not sure of your gender); but anyways you made my day with this article. Thanks for bringing this article to my attention, I've been wondering how many other nuclear plants could be damaged by tsunamis. This is the news I needed, Thanks!

[color=dodgerblue] I actually wrote a ten page paper on the nuclear disaster at Fukushima during spring quarter.

My first question when starting my research was why on earth would anyone want to build a nuclear reactor in such a seismically active area? These are supposed to be nuclear scientists, right? Do they not have common sense?

I uncovered a lot of stuff about TEPCO during my research as well. They were warned repeatedly about their facilities not being earthquake/ tsunami ready and they chose not to prepare. The reason that they cited for not making safety preparations was that they didn't want the locals to feel uneasy. Really, TEPCO? I bet they are feeling great now!

I am sure that at least a portion of these other power companies aren't acting ethically, either.

It's a scary world we live in when human life isn't valued enough to take the proper safety precautions. So much for the sanctity of human life..

Originally posted by daryllyn
[color=dodgerblue] I actually wrote a ten page paper on the nuclear disaster at Fukushima during spring quarter.

My first question when starting my research was why on earth would anyone want to build a nuclear reactor in such a seismically active area? These are supposed to be nuclear scientists, right? Do they not have common sense?

I uncovered a lot of stuff about TEPCO during my research as well. They were warned repeatedly about their facilities not being earthquake/ tsunami ready and they chose not to prepare. The reason that they cited for not making safety preparations was that they didn't want the locals to feel uneasy. Really, TEPCO? I bet they are feeling great now!

I am sure that at least a portion of these other power companies aren't acting ethically, either.

It's a scary world we live in when human life isn't valued enough to take the proper safety precautions. So much for the sanctity of human life..

edit on 24-9-2012 by daryllyn because: (no reason given)

It would be interesting to read your 10 page paper to see what you had to say. There is nothing wrong with building a nuclear reactor within a seismically active area. As to whether or not their facilities are earthquake/tsunami ready is still to be seen first handedly. I suspect that the power companies are acting ethically, I further suspect that its the fault of the governments for not giving warning that an earthquake was going to strike that was capable of doing damage to the reactors. Without the warning TEPCO probably did all they could do.

The fault lies in government agencies like the USGS that make believe that they are doing everything possible to give such warnings; where as the reverse is more likely the complete truth. There are warning systems available that would have given TEPCO hours, and more than likely possibly days advance warning in order to shut down their nuclear power plants.

Piezoseismology would have given such advance warning by the easy detection of the signal that's given off by earthquakes of all magnitudes before they strike. Such a large earthquake had to take days to build up. During those days of building up detectable pressure, TEPCO could have shut down the power plant completely and the people along the coast could have been evacuated.

reply to post by daryllyn


I would like to read that paper, only if it isn't all in blue font.......

Kinda making my eyes go crazy!!

[color=dodgerblue]Finding that paper sounds like a lot of work!

Its on my prehistoric laptop that I just got replaced.

I might go digging for it soon and I will post copy if I get to it.

My works cited had about forty resources.

I received an A, if it matters!