Google Data Centers Are Returning Nuclear Power to Tornado Country
“This is one of the most significant security events in American nuclear history and yet it does not present a major danger to the public,” Stein said. “This speaks to the robustness of these plants.”
The NRC authorization requires that reactor buildings be built to withstand “tornado missiles” or large objects colliding at high speed, Stein added. “They are literally designed to withstand these kinds of events safely,” he said.
Nonetheless, NextEra plans to increase weather-related safety measures at the reopened Duane Arnold plant.
“We look at these events and try to collect lessons learned and ask ourselves, what could make the plant even safer than it is now?” said NextEra consultant Michael Davis at a public information meeting in Cedar Rapids hosted by the Iowa Utilities Commission on Nov. 13.
The company plans to install a third diesel generator to provide additional backup power and will also design Duane Arnold’s replacement water cooling towers with a higher wind resistance threshold, Davis said.
Google representatives did not respond to questions about whether damage to Duane Arnold during the 2020 derecho raised concerns about nuclear safety during extreme weather events.
NRC safety requirements require applicants to “consider the most severe weather and seismic conditions known in the proposed area” when selecting reactor sites, an NRC representative wrote in a statement to Inside Climate News.
“It is important to understand that nuclear power plants are built to withstand extreme environmental hazards and that the NRC requires that plants maintain redundant systems, components and programs to be able to mitigate off-site energy losses,” the NRC added.
Lokenvitz, the former Duane Arnold engineer, views the plant’s reopening as a resurrection of sorts. If the facility hadn’t already been taken offline when the derecho hit, Duane Arnold would have been rebuilt and continued producing electricity, she said.
“This plant performed exactly as expected. It was just the perfect storm.”
