After Quake, Virginia Nuclear Plant Takes Stock

The article I read on The New York Times website describes the problems which the Dominion nuclear power plant in North Anna, VA, which is still deactivated, has faced since the 5.8 magnitude earthquake on August 23^rd.  The plant is only 12 miles from the epicenter of the quake in Mineral, VA, and experienced minor, mostly cosmetic damage, including a 117-ton canister which shifted several inches after the earthquake. Inspectors also discovered a crack in a concrete wall of a water building, but it was dismissed as a pre-quake blemish. Plant workers are screening all parts of the plant for damage and fault, keeping in mind that the most vulnerable part of the plant to quake damage, according to John H. Bickel, a nuclear engineer and consultant, are ceramic insulators which act as heavy duty circuit breakers in the electrical systems of plants. They control the flow of electricity through the plant, which could prevent power from reaching certain systems, or allow electricity to flow while it shouldn’t, if the pads were to shift or be damaged significantly. However, most involved with the plant, including Neil Wilmshurst of the Electric Power Research Institute, believe that the plant’s security measures and stability are quite strong and in good shape.

            Many people in Japan earlier this year were affected by the damage to the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which caused massive leakage of radiation through escaping steam and water and serious subsequent harm to the surrounding environment that will negatively affect Japan for years to come. This is important because if workers at the Dominion plant in North Anna were to reactivate the plant whilst it had a major flaw in its functioning systems and the plant broke down, many people in Virginia could be at risk for exposure to radiation, and the environment would also see serious problems.

            I thought this article was well-written and made its points well. It showed the relationship between causes and effects clearly, and tied together information with fluidity. One point I would make is that the article was a little slow and boring, and the author did not capture the attention of the reader as best he could. I would have tried to add more of a tone of gravity to the article, as the story does have a serious point about the security and preparedness for disaster in nuclear plants in the U.S.

Declan Borcich

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/science/earth/08nuclear.html?pagewanted=2&ref=science