Nuclear Power Industry Remembers TMI

This weekend, the nuclear power industry is remembering just how dangerous a field this really is. On March 28, 1979, just after 4:00 in the morning, a series of pumps supplying colling water to a reactor at Pennsylvania’ Three Mile Island shut down. This caused a partial meltdown of the reactor core, which heated up with no cooling water traveling to it. A chain reaction of failures and mistakes led to a bubble of hydrogen gas exploded, causing panic among people living in this region.

Three Mile Island today

I wasn’t alive in 1979, but until about 2 years ago, I lived within an hour drive of Three Mile Island (TMI), and the reality of the accident is still very real for people in that area. Our schools and colleges have evacuation plans in the case of a TMI accident, and even then, if you live in that area, you know what a major meltdown probably wouldn’t give you enough time to escape unharmed.

To this day, there is a lot of mistrust among citizens, regarding just what happened and how dangerous the 1979 accident really was. I know what scientists say, and I know what statements were made to the media, but I’ll tell you this – cancer rates in the countries surrounding TMI are off the charts – higher than almost anywhere else in the world, minus the Chernobyl area.

The TMI accident affectively ended the growth of the nuclear power industry in America. No new plants were ordered, and even the ones set to be built more than two years later were all canceled. Today, the industry is attempting a revival. With climate issues threatening our planet, many people see nuclear power as a greener option than coal-fired electricity generators.

There are currently 104 nuclear power plants in the United States, and the industry is asking President Barack Obama for loans to build more. Each 1000-megawtt reactor would cost about $5 billion to build.

Understandably, many are skeptical. Although new nuclear power plants could help the economy and lower electricity prices, few would be happy if a plant were to be built in their neighborhood. So the question is this – should people still be scared, after 30 years and over 20 million hours of operation since the 1979 accident?

Harold Denton, a retired Nuclear Regulations Commission (NCR) official says no.

“Changes resulting from the accident have significantly reduced the overall risks of a future serious accident. Today, reactors are operating far more safely and reliably than ever.”

Yet, accidents aren’t the only concern these days. after the September 11 terrorist attacks, many believe that nuclear power plants could be huge targets. Some people believe that the plan downed in Western Pennsylvania was targeting Three Mile Island. In addition, the past 30 years have not been totally without incident, as small situations at a few power plans could have led to major problems if operators would have reacted differently or more slowly.

If the industry wants to grow, it must continually address problems of the past, starting with Three Mile Island. Most industries want to see swift growth, but with nuclear power, slow and cautious grow may be the only way to grow at all.

Image via Todd McDonald.