A group representing the nuclear power industry announced its members unanimously agreed to purchase a list of portable equipment to improve preparedness for extreme events following last year’s Fukushima Daiichi crisis in Japan.
The Nuclear Energy Institute said in a release Tuesday that utilities have already purchased 300 pieces of major equipment, with every plant committing to order all of the gear by March 31. Items on the list include diesel-powered pumps, generators, ventilation fans, cables, communications equipment and supplies to support emergency responders.
“The additional portable equipment will provide power and water to maintain three key safety functions [reactor core cooling, used fuel pool cooling and containment integrity] in the absence of AC power and heat transfer capability from permanently installed safety systems,” NEI’s chief nuclear officer Tony Pietrangelo said in the release.
The effort is aligned with the industry-supported approach to enhancing accident preparedness known as FLEX. The FLEX concepts, among others, are currently being considered by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as it reviews safety standards following the tsunami and plant blackout that destroyed four units at Fukushima.