Nuclear Power Plant Safety Regulations

• License and Inspections 

All nuclear power plants must be licensed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC). Before a new reactor is built, the U.S. NRC must approve the construction plans. The construction of the new reactor is monitored while in progress, and a final inspection is required when the new reactor is finished. After passing this initial inspection, nuclear power plants must submit to future inspections by the U.S. NRC and other regulatory agencies at least every other year. Nuclear power plant inspections are quite thorough and check not only the physical condition of the plant but also compliance with laws regarding plant maintenance, employee training, operating procedures, emergency preparedness and security.

• Storage Containers

Eventually, the uranium used to produce energy in a nuclear reactor ages and is no longer useful. This spent uranium is not able to continue producing energy, but it is still very radioactive. The spent uranium is placed into storage containers and may be stored at the plant or shipped to a storage facility. The storage containers used to store and transport uranium must pass a series of safety tests to ensure that they will not open or leak. The containers are dropped onto a hard surface from a height of 30 feet. They must be able to tolerate this drop on both a flat surface and an uneven surface without puncturing or opening. Next the container is subjected to a fire for 30 minutes. The fire must be 1,475 degrees F. Finally, the container is immersed in water. Containers must pass all of these tests without opening or leaking in order to be used for uranium storage.

• Transportation

Trucks, trains, airplanes and boats are all used to transport nuclear materials. When radioactive material is transported, additional safety precautions are taken. Even though there are strict rules regarding how these materials are to be packaged at the nuclear power plant, it is impossible to guarantee beyond any doubt that an unforeseen accident won't ever cause harm to a container containing radioactive material. Because of this, the U.S. NRC and Department of Transportation have established rules limiting the quantity of radioactive material that can be transported at one time. This ensures that even if radioactive material escaped its container during transport, the amount of radioactivity that people and the environment were exposed to would be minimal.

• Fire Safety

In 1975, the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama had a fire that damaged many of the electrical cables leading to plant safety equipment. Because of this, nuclear power plants must now have methods in place to quickly detect and extinguish fires any fires that do occur. To achieve this goal, the plants install fire resistant insulation to keep fires from spreading. Sensitive fire alarms and automatic sprinkler systems are also used to detect and extinguish fires. Fire detection is so important that plants not having adequate fire monitoring equipment are required to have a team of individuals dedicated to the job of watching for fires. In addition, nuclear power plants are required to have at least one control station completely protected against fire from which workers can safely shut down the nuclear reactor if necessary.

• Reports

Nuclear power plants must report certain events to the U.S. NRC even if these events occur as a part of the plant's normal operations. Plants must file a report every time the plant is shut down for any reason. Any problems with plant safety or security equipment should also be reported. Any event that might negatively affect plant safety must be reported, even if this event is outside the borders and control of the nuclear power facility. An example of this type of problem may be severe weather conditions. Any airborne or liquid release of radioactive material must be reported to the U.S. NRC if it exceeds a predetermined amount.