Callaway nuclear plant would be unlikely to suffer damage from earthquake

by Margaret Haring, posted Sept. 23, 2011

Experts say the public should not worry about the effects of an earthquake or any other natural disaster on the Callaway Plant, a nuclear power plant, near Fulton, Mo., just east of Columbia.

Following the earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan, Virginia’s North Anna nuclear power plant had a close call when an earthquake’s epicenter occurred near the plant.

With the recent earthquake in Virginia and other natural disasters, many residents in Mid-Missouri may worry about similar events happening close to their homes. The only operating, non-research nuclear plant in Missouri, Callaway Plant, seems well designed for a natural disaster.

“Nuclear power plants are designed to withstand the likely earthquake events at their location,” said William H. Miller, professor of nuclear engineering at MU and certified health physicist.

Miller said that the nuclear plants in Japan survived the earthquake and were shut down as expected. Amazingly, the earthquake was bigger than the plants were designed for.

Miller also said everything was in fine condition until the tsunami hit. John Bassford, Callaway Plant’s communications consultant, agreed that in Japan the tsunami is what caused the problems, not the earthquake.
 
Bassford said the Callaway plant has a generic disaster evacuation plan for earthquakes and other natural disasters.

According to Bassford, Callaway has already taken precautions to prevent damages. The plant began operating in 1984, and it was built with earthquakes in mind, so it is seismically designed.

The plant has snubbers (devices that will cause equipment to shift) to absorb shock. Most of the equipment in the plant would function properly after an earthquake. If the plant and employees are in any kind of danger, the Federal Emergency Management Agency determines if people need to evacuate. In the event of a natural disaster, Callaway Plant would work with the state.

Bassford said the plant would likely not be damaged significantly.

“The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires nuclear power plants to be able to withstand the most severe natural phenomena that may occur in the region where they are located, including earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, fires and floods,” the Nuclear Energy Institute website said.

The website also states that designs for nuclear power plants are based on the probability of an earthquake actually happening at the site. Simulated earthquake-induced vibrations are used to check the structures and equipment of the plant.

According to the website, each U.S. nuclear plant has sensitive monitoring instruments systems to detect seismic activity.

In addition, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires nuclear plants to meet current safety standards. They even study other plants to find ways to make the plants safer. They have recently started reviewing the events that happened in Japan so that the reactors in the United States will remain safe after severe events.  The nuclear energy industry will confirm each plant’s ability to manage challenges, like a total loss of off-site power or flooding inside and outside of the plant.

“At the risk of sounding factitious, the plant will be the last building standing near an earthquake,” said Miller. “The unfortunate situation in Japan demonstrates this fact.”

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