JAPAN DISASTER: PROFESSOR WARNED JAPAN IT RISKED N-PLANT DISASTER
JAPAN was warned three years ago that building nuclear reactors in an earthquake zone risked “nuclear catastrophe”.
Professor Ishibashi Katsuhiko of Kobe University gave the warning in 2007 as he quit an industry safety panel.
He described safety plans for Japan’s 55 nuclear reactors, introduced in 2006, as “seriously flawed” and said that quakes had occurred close to three nuclear power plants between 2005 and 2007.
In each case the earthquakes were stronger than the reactors were designed to withstand.
He said then: “Unless radical steps are taken now to reduce the vulnerability of nuclear power plants to earthquakes, Japan could experience a true nuclear catastrophe.” Friday’s earthquake is the most powerful Japan has recorded, adding to concerns about locating nuclear power plants in one of the world’s most volatile seismic areas.
Japan has 55 reactors across 17 sites as part of its drive to reduce its dependence on foreign energy imports. Last night there were concerns about nine of the reactors. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne yesterday ordered a report on the implications for his decision to back an expansion of Britain’s nuclear power.
He said: “I have called on the chief nuclear inspector, Dr Mike Weightman, for a thorough report on the implications of the situation in Japan and the lessons to be learned.”
As details of Japan’s nuclear crisis emerged, Greenpeace warned that the situation underlined that nuclear power was always vulnerable to the deadly combination of human error, design failure and natural disaster.