Nuclear accidentsU.K. revises nuke emergency plans post-Fukushima
The Sizewell nuclear power station in Suffolk, England, was decommissioned in 2006, but after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the Suffolk authorities thought there was a need to upgrade the emergency plans for the people living around the plant. There are disagreements, however, over the radius of the emergency zone around the plant, and how many people should be included i evacuation plans and given potassium iodide tablets in the event of a radiation leak.
The Suffolk Resilience Forum, a contingent of local councils and groups, has begun to review incident plans for residents who live nearby the Sizewell nuclear power station in Suffolk, England.
The Forum wants to extend the inner emergency zone from 1.5 miles to 2.3 miles and the outer precautionary area to nine miles, but Shut Down Sizewell, an organization that wants to close the nuclear facility says the danger zone should be extended to eighteen miles. The Forum is using the extensions of the emergency zones around the plants as a way to reassure people that the risk of a meltdown or leak has been reduced since one of the plants was decommissioned in 2006.
The BBC reports that the new emergency area will cover the entire town of Leiston, and the surrounding towns which have a population of around 6,500 people.
In case of a radiation leak from the facility, schools and people who live in the proposed inner emergency area will have access to potassium iodide tablets to provide some protection against the radiation.
Since the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011, the U.K. government and the nuclear industry have taken precautionary measures to protect against such an incident.
Charles Barnett, of the Shut Down Sizewell campaign, is glad the precautions are being taken, but also said the 1.5 mile radius of danger “totally inadequate”.
“The precaution zone should be 18 miles (30km) so that hundreds of thousands of people would be made aware of the dangers,” Barnett told the BBC. “Fukushima has demonstrated that nuclear power stations should be closed down as the only safe precaution and we are working towards that.
“We’ve seen Sizewell A shut down and now we are looking at the B plant but the government has made up its mind to build a C unit which is only going to exacerbate the situation on safety and disposal of waste, Barnett added. “Everything is up for grabs and a lot more people are beginning to release the dangers.”
According to the Forum, the public was not aware of the potential dangers in the local community and the Forum said they would offer shelter, evacuation, and the potassium iodide within the nine mile danger zone.
The Forum is also attempting to find out just how many people live in the eighteen mile radius of Sizewell B so support can be coordinated quickly in the event of an emergency.
The Forum has circulated consultation and information documents to make the public aware of the issue, and invite comments on the plans until 8 April. A detailed plan will be published in June.
The Suffolk County Council said the revised Sizewell emergency plan must include developments at the site and changes in national policy and guidance. The revisions are also expected to include standards from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
