NRC Finally Admits Solar Storms Can Threaten Nuclear Power Plants Causing Multiple Meltdowns

The Sun was quiet - not at all stormy during the historical Venus Transit last year. But solar storms could trigger geomagnetic storms that may be capable of causing months long blackouts and multireactor meltdowns - a possibility NRC is now gathering more information of  for better estimating the risk and possible means of dealing with it.  Photo: Jukka Seppälä/Creator's Fingerprints

NRC says it cannot rule out the possibility of severe solar storms causing geomagnetic storms that may cause multiple nuclear meltdowns in US nuclear reactors and spent fuel pools. Further investigation is needed to better estimate the real risk, but there may occur some new regulations and means of securing the US NPPs against long blackouts caused by geomagnetic storms.

LINK - ENENEWS:

http://enenews.com/govt-concerned-about-solar-storms-impacting-nuclear-plants-carrington-like-event-core-damage-multiple-sites-discussed

LINK - GPO.GOV:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-12-18/pdf/2012-30452.pdf

I hope this new information makes it easier for the other nuclear regulators of the world to realize and re-estimate the dangers of long blackouts for the nuclear industry. I'm waiting the reaction of Finnish nuclear regulatory authority - STUK to study the new information available about severe solar storms and months long blackouts.

At least one "Black Swan" is just now being indentified by NRC ( US Nuclear Regulatory Commission) - the voulnerability of NPPs against severe geomagnetic storms.    Photo: Jukka Seppälä/Creator's Fingerprints


As energy blogger I have written about this issue from the very beginning of my blogging.  http://solarwindpronet.blogspot.fi/2011/10/welcome-to-solarwindpronet.html  I see this question to be a real "Black Swan"  http://solarwindpronet.blogspot.fi/2013/01/the-renewable-energy-revolution-is-here.html until sufficient structural changes and backup systems are provided to secure our electrical grids and transformers - and NPPS and spent fuel pools - against long blackouts caused by solar storms or other such events affecting power grids.

Let's hope the discussion begins!

JPS