High risk nuclear plants sit just around the corner

Two nearby nuclear plants make the top 10 list of plants with the highest risk of earthquake damage.

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High risk nuclear plants sit just around the corner

POSTED: Thursday, March 17, 2011, 3:15 PM
Filed Under: News

The Daily Local News in Chester County published an article yesterday in the wake of Japan’s devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake; some locals think it may be time to revisit a study done last year by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on seismic activity and its effects on current U.S. nuclear power plants.

According to the NRC, there are two nuclear plants within two hours of our dear city on the list of the top 10 plants with the highest risk of earthquake damage. The third on the list for most at risk is Exelon Nuclear’s Limerick Generating Station, located a mere 45 miles away in Limerick, Pa (just east of Pottstown). At number 10, the infamous Three Mile Island sits just 100 miles from Philly.

That means, of the 104 nuclear plants throughout the country, we have two of the riskiest (in the event of an earthquake) right in our backyard. That’s not to say the risk is high: The study also says the odds of the Limerick plant being damaged by an earthquake are 1 in 18,868 (these odds fall near the possibility of winning $100 in next week’s Powerball). The odds of an earthquake affecting the Limerick plant are worse than those of finding a four leaf clover on the first try (1 in 10,000).

Posted by Tanya Hull @ 3:15 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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