Monday, June 20, 2011

Nuclear accident at Nebraska?

According to Pakistani newspaper The Nation, which cites Russian sources, there has already been a nuclear accident at Nebraska's Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant.

The Pakistani newspaper cites the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency, in turn citing IAEA, as the plant having suffered a catastrophic loss of cooling in one of its idle spent fuel pools. This would have happened in June 7th after naturally caused flooding, triggering the no fly ban on this site. 

There is an ongoing war of declarations between US and Russian sources on what is actually going and on whether a level 4 emergency category exists or not. The Russians have also apparently denounced the USA as having ordered a media blackout of the accident. 

At the moment I cannot confirm or reject the claims by The Nation. However I have been reading for weeks on the perilous state of this and other two nuclear power plants in the flooded Missouri-Mississippi basin and I understand that this denunciation deserves at least a warning note. If anyone could confirm or reject the Russian FAEA making such claims, preferably with links, I'd appreciate.


Update (Jun 22): New info at NYT mentions that indeed:

Earlier this month, the plant briefly lost power needed to cool the spent fuel pool after a fire that remains under investigation. 

So, sadly enough, confirmed. 

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