List of nuclear power accidents by country
Worldwide, many nuclear accidents and serious incidents have occurred before and since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Two thirds of these mishaps occurred in the US.[1] The French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) has concluded that technical innovation cannot eliminate the risk of human errors in nuclear plant operation.
The abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine, with the accidental Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the distance
Nuclear safety
The nuclear power industry has improved the safety and performance of reactors, and has proposed new safer (but generally untested) reactor designs but there is no guarantee that the reactors will be designed, built and operated correctly.[2] Mistakes do occur and the designers of reactors at Fukushima in Japan did not anticipate that a tsunami generated by an unexpected large earthquake would disable the backup systems that were supposed to stabilize the reactor after the earthquake.[3] According to UBS AG, the Fukushima I nuclear accidents have cast doubt on whether even an advanced economy like Japan can master nuclear safety.[4] Catastrophic scenarios involving terrorist attacks are also conceivable.[2] An interdisciplinary team from MIT has estimated that given the expected growth of nuclear power from 2005 to 2055, at least four serious nuclear accidents would be expected in that period.[1][5]
Overview
Globally, there have been at least 99 (civilian and military) recorded nuclear power plant accidents from 1952 to 2009 (defined as incidents that either resulted in the loss of human life or more than US$50,000 of property damage, the amount the US federal government uses to define nuclear energy accidents that must be reported), totaling US$20.5 billion in property damages. Property damage costs include destruction of property, emergency response, environmental remediation, evacuation, lost product, fines, and court claims.[6] Because nuclear power plants are large and complex, accidents on site tend to be relatively expensive.[7]
The 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania was caused by a series of failures in secondary systems at the reactor, which allowed radioactive steam to escape and resulted in the partial core meltdown of one of two reactors at the site, making it the most significant accident in U.S. history.[8]
The world's worst nuclear accident has been the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union, one of two accidents that has been rated as a level 7 (the highest) event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.[9] Note that the Chernobyl disaster may have scored an 8 or 9, if the scale continued. The accident occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after an unsafe systems test led to a series of steam explosions that destroyed reactor number four. The plume spread in the near distance primarily over Belarus and after that covered extensive portions of Europe with traces of radioactivity, leaving reindeer in Northern Europe and sheep in portions of England unfit for human consumption. A 30 kilometres (19 mi) "Zone of alienation" has been formed around the reactor.[10]
At least 57 accidents and severe incidents have occurred since the Chernobyl disaster, and over 56 severe incidents have occurred in the USA. Relatively few accidents have involved fatalities, with roughly 74 casualties being attributed to accidents and half of these were those involved in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.[6]
Belgium
This list is incomplete but there are no known fatalities in Belgium. See the Laka Foundation's list of recent nuclear and radiological incidents in Belgium from which this table is (partially derived).[11]
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) |
INES rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Tihange, Belgium | "Safety injection during hot shutdown at Tihange 2 unit".[12][13] | 0 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Tihange, Belgium | "Inadequate protection relays and related setpoints".[14][11] | 0 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Fleurus, Belgium | "Severe health effects for a worker at a commercial irradiation facility as a result of high doses of radiation" at Sterigenics.[15] | 0 | 4 | |
| 2008 | Fleurus, Belgium | Iodine-131 release in the environment.[16] | 0 | 3 | |
| 2011 | Doel, Belgium | "Inadequate setting of the auxiliary feedwater turbopump".[17] | 0 | 2 |
Canada
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) |
INES rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 12, 1952 | CRL, Ontario, Canada | The NRX accident. A hydrogen explosion occurred in the reactor core due to a cascade of malfunctions and operator errors. The world's first major nuclear reactor accident.[20] | 0 | See NRX accident | 5[21][22] |
| May 24, 1958 | CRL, Ontario, Canada | The NRU accident. A fuel rod caught fire and broke when removed, then dispersed fission products and alpha-emitting particles in the reactor building. | 0 | See NRU accident. | |
| November 1978 | WR-1 Reactor at Pinawa, Manitoba, Canada | LOCA loss of coolant accident. 2,739 litres of coolant oil leaked, most of it into the Winnipeg River. The repair took several weeks for workers to complete.[23] | 0 | Unknown | |
| August 1, 1983 | Pickering nuclear Reactor 2, Pickering, Ontario, Canada | LOCA loss of coolant accident. Pressure tube, that holds the fuel bundles, ruptured due to hydriding. All four reactors re-tubed with new materials (Zr-2.5%Nb) over ten years.[24] | 0 | 1 billion Canadian dollars (1983-1993).[25] | |
| March 1986 | Bruce nuclear Reactor 2, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada | LOCA Loss of coolant accident. Pressure tube rupture during pressurizing test (reactor shut down). Pressure tube holds the fuel bundles.[26] | 0 | Unknown | |
| August 2, 1992 | Pickering nuclear Reactor 1, Pickering, Ontario, Canada | A Heavy water leak of 2300 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium into Lake Ontario, resulting in increased levels of tritium in Toronto drinking water .[27] | 0 | Unknown. | |
| December 10, 1994 | Pickering nuclear Reactor 2, Pickering, Ontario, Canada | LOCA loss of coolant accident. A spill of 185 tonnes of heavy water. The Emergency Core Cooling System was used to prevent a meltdown.[28] | 0 | Unknown. | 2[29] |
| June 11, 2002 | Bruce nuclear Reactor 6, Bruce B station. Bruce County, Ontario, Canada | Pressure tube and calandria tube damage during a channel maintenance procedure, required replacement of the two tubes.[26] | 0 | Unknown | 0[29] |
| December 21, 2009 | Darlington nuclear station. Clarington, Ontario, Canada | Around 200,000 litres of water with trace amounts of radioactive isotope tritium coming from a storage tank mistakenly were released by workers into Lake Ontario, representing 0.1% of the monthly allowed amounts of tritium for this power plant.[30][31] | 0 | Unknown. | |
| March 14, 2011 | Pickering nuclear Plant A Pickering, Ontario, Canada | A leak of 73 cubic metres (73,000 litres) of demineralized water into Lake Ontario from a failed pump seal. There was negligible risk to the public according to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.[32][33] | 0 | Unknown. |
France
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) | INES rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct 1969 | Loir-et-Cher, France | 50 kg of uranium dioxide melted inside of the A1 nuclear reactor of Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux, during a refueling operation | 0 | Unknown (likely far less than the 13 Mar 1980 accident) | 4 |
| 25 Jul 1979 | Saclay, France | Radioactive fluids escaped into drains designed for ordinary wastes, seeping into the local watershed at the Saclay BL3 Reactor | 0 | 5 | |
| 13 Mar 1980 | Loir-et-Cher, France | A malfunctioning cooling system fused fuel elements together at the Saint Laurent A2 reactor, melting two fuel assemblies and forcing an extended shutdown | 0 | 22 | 4 |
| 14 Apr 1984 | Bugey, France | Electrical cables failed at the command center of the Bugey Nuclear Power Plant and forced a complete shutdown of one reactor | 0 | 2 | |
| 21 May 1986 | Normandy, France | Pipe maintenance at the fuel reprocessing plant at La Hague released a radioactive solution to which three welders and two plant workers were exposed.[35] | 0 | 5 | |
| 27 Dec 1999 | Blayais, France | An unexpectedly strong storm flooded the Blayais Nuclear Power Plant, forcing an emergency shutdown after injection pumps and containment safety systems failed from water damage | 0 | 55 | 2 |
| 21 Jan 2002 | Manche, France | Control systems and safety valves failed after improper installation of condensers, forcing a two-month shutdown | 0 | 102 | |
| 16 May 2004 | Cattenom-2, Lorraine, France | Sub-standard electrical cable trays at the Cattenom-2 nuclear reactor caused a fire in an electricity tunnel, damaging many safety system cables [36] | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| 13 Jul 2008 | Tricastin, France | Thousands of litres (thirty cubic meters[37]) of wastewater contaminated with uranium were accidentally poured on the ground and runoff into a nearby river | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| 9 Aug 2009 | Gravelines, France | Assembly system failed to properly eject spent fuel rods from the Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant, causing the fuel rods to jam and the defueling operation to be suspended | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 Apr 2012 | Penly, France | Fire on a primary pump of the second reactor, followed by a small radioactive leak into the containment | 0 | ? | 1 |
| 2017 | France, generic | 20 reactors of the 1300 MW-class with seismic weaknesses on their emergency diesel generators | 0 | ? | 2 |
Germany
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$ million) | INES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Greifswald, East Germany | A near core meltdown at Greifswald Nuclear Power Plant: Three out of six cooling water pumps were switched off for a failed test. A fourth pump broke down by loss of electric power and control of the reactor was lost. 10 fuel elements were slightly damaged before recovery | 0 | ? | 3 |
| 4 May 1986 | Hamm-Uentrop, Germany | Operator actions to dislodge damaged fuel elements at the Thorium high-temperature reactor released radioactivity to 4 km2 surrounding the facility | 0 | 267 | ? |
| 17 Dec 1987 | Hessen, Germany | Stop valve failed for a moment at Biblis Nuclear Power Plant; contamination of local area in the reactor building | 0 | 13 |
India
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1987 | Kalpakkam, India | Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam refuelling accident that ruptures the reactor core, resulting in a two-year shutdown | 0 direct and 6 indirect | 300 |
| 10 Sep 1989 | Tarapur, Maharashtra, India | Operators at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station find that the reactor had been leaking radioactive iodine at more than 700 times normal levels. Repairs to the reactor take more than a year | 0 | 78 |
| 13 May 1992 | Tarapur, Maharashtra, India | A malfunctioning tube causes the Tarapur Atomic Power Station to release 12 curies of radioactivity | 0 | 2 |
| 31 Mar 1993 | Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India | The Narora Atomic Power Station suffers a fire at two of its steam turbine blades, damaging the heavy water reactor and almost leading to a meltdown | 0 | 220 |
| 2 Feb 1995 | Kota, Rajasthan, India | The Rajasthan Atomic Power Station leaks radioactive helium and heavy water into the Rana Pratap Sagar River, necessitating a two-year shutdown for repairs | 0 | 280 |
| 22 Oct 2002 | Kalpakkam, India | Almost 100 kg radioactive sodium at the fast breeder reactor leaks into a purification cabin, ruining a number of valves and operating systems | 0 | 30 |
Japan
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) | INES rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jan 1975 | Mihama, Japan | Radioactivity released from Mihama nuclear power plant.[38] | 0 | ||
| 2 Nov 1978 | Fukushima No I, Japan | Japan's first criticality accident at No 3 reactor, this accident was hidden for 29 years and reported on 22 Mar 2007 | 0 | ||
| 2 Apr 1979 | Tokaimura, Japan | Two workers suffer radioactive contamination at the Tokaimura complex.[38] | 0 | ||
| 24–28 Jan 1981 | Tsuruga, Japan | 29 workers were exposed to radiation.[39] | 0 | ||
| 8 Mar 1981 | Tsuruga, Japan | 56 workers were exposed to about 45 tonnes of radioactive waste which spilled from storage tanks at the Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant. The waste was cleaned up with buckets and mops,[40][41] and was also discharged into Tsuruga Bay via the town sewer.[39] At the time, the plant had recorded 30 malfunctions since it was commissioned in 1970.[42] | 0 | ||
| 31 Aug 1985 | Fukushima, Japan | Fire at Fukushima nuclear power plant during routine shutdown.[38] | 0 | ||
| 23 Jun 1986 | Tokaimura, Japan | Twelve people suffer "slight" plutonium contamination while inspecting a storeroom.[38] | 0 | ||
| 8 Feb 1991 | Fukui, Japan | Radioactivity was released from Mihama nuclear power plant after an emergency release valve failed.[38] Officials said the release "did not pose a threat to humans or the environment."[43] | 0 | ||
| 22 Feb 1993 | Fukushima, Japan | High-pressure steam accident kills one worker and injures two others.[38] | 1 | ||
| December 1995 | Tsuruga, Japan | The fast breeder Monju Nuclear Power Plant sodium leak.[40] State-run operator Donen was found to have concealed videotape footage that showed extensive damage to the reactor.[44] | 0 | ||
| 11 March 1997 | Tokaimura, Japan | The Tokaimura nuclear reprocessing plant fire and explosion. 37 workers were exposed to low doses of radiation. Donen later acknowledged it had initially suppressed information about the fire.[40][44] | 0 | ||
| 18 Jun 1999 | Shika, Japan | Wrong handling of some control rods set off an uncontrolled nuclear reaction.[40] | 0 | 2 | |
| 30 Sept 1999 | Tokaimura, Japan | The criticality accident at the Tokai fuel fabrication facility.[40] Hundreds of people were exposed to radiation and two workers later died. This is not a nuclear power plant accident, however.[44] | 2 | 4 | |
| 2002 | Onagawa, Japan | Two workers were exposed to a small amount of radiation and suffered minor burns during a fire.[44] | 0 | ||
| 9 Aug 2004 | Mihama, Japan | A main piping burst in the turbine building of the Mihama-3 station and killed persons present there; the subsequent investigation revealed a serious lack in systematic inspection in Japanese nuclear plants, which led to a massive inspection program.[45] | 5 | 1 | |
| 2006 | Fukushima No1, Japan | A small amount of radioactive steam was released at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and it escaped the compound.[44] | 0 | ||
| 16 Jul 2007 | Kashiwazaki, Japan | A severe earthquake (measuring 6.8 on the Richter magnitude scale) hit the region where Tokyo Electric's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant is located and radioactive water spilled into the Sea of Japan; as of March 2009, all of the reactors remained shut down for damage verification and repairs. The plant with seven units is the largest single nuclear power station in the world, which now again is shut down due to the Fukushima accident.[45] | 0 | 1 | |
| Dec 2009 | Hamaoka, Japan | Leakage accident of radioactive water. 34 workers were exposed to radiation | 0 | ||
| Mar 2011 | Fukushima Dai-ichi, Japan | The world's second INES 7 accident. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and associated tsunami triggered cooling problems at Fukushima 1 & 2 stations with several reactors. Loss of coolant resulted in meltdowns in three units and hydrogen explosions caused their structural damage. Radioactive steam was released into the atmosphere, and highly radioactive water spilled into the ocean through utility trenches. Some immediate injuries resulted. 117 workers received committed effective doses above 100 mSv, and 6 workers received doses above the emergency dose limit of 250 mSv.[46] | 2+;[47] further near 573 died from indirect causes[48] | 1,200 - 2,100 | 7 |
| 6 June 2017 | Ibaraki Prefecture | The incident occurred at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency's Oarai Research and Development Center, after a bag containing radioactive material tore open while a check on radioactive storage inside a "controlled" room was performed. It resulted in internal radiation exposure in five workers, with one of them inhaling plutonium. However, no radiation was detected in the external environment.[49][50] | 0 |
Pakistan
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 October 2011 | Karachi, Pakistan | The KANUPP Karachi nuclear power plant imposed a seven-hour emergency after heavy water leaked from a feeder pipe to the reactor. The leakage took place during a routine maintenance shut down, and the emergency was lifted seven hours later, after the affected area was isolated.[51] | 0 | N/A |
Russia
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) | INES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Mayak reprocessing plant, Ural-region | Kyshtym disaster: Explosion in a waste tank of the plant with a massive radioactive cloud, deteriorating deeply the health of the region's population | The accident caused nearly 200 late cancer fatalities[52] | ? | 6 |
| 1975 | Leningrad, Soviet union | Reactor 1 of the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant suffered core damage which released radioactivity. | 0 | ? | 4 |
| 1992 | Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation | An RBMK reactor of the Leningrad NPP released radioactivity which traveled over north-eastern Europe. Russian officials declared that they saw no immediate danger posed by the event.[53] | 0 | ? | 2 |
| 1997 | Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation | Worker Sergei Kharitonov revealed photographs of cracked walls and groundwater seepage at a nuclear power plant waste storage facility. He also revealed that the plant has been dumping 300 litres of contaminated water into the Gulf of Finland annually "for years".[53] | 0 | N/A | |
| April 1998 | Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation | An RBMK reactor was shut down following the discovery of a radiation leak.[53] | |||
| Autumn 2017 | Ural-region, Russian Federation | Roshydromet had issued report stated rise in beta activity of aerosoles and surfaces at all monitoring posts in South Ural from 25th Sep to 1 Oct 2017. In two aerosol samples Ru-106 activity increase was detected. At 26th and 27th Sep Ru-106 decay products was detected in Tatarstan republic. At 27th and 28th Sep high pollution levels of aerosoles and surfaces was detected in Volgograd and Rostov-on-Don. In two aerosol samples from Chelyabinsk Oblast 986- and 440-fold activity increase was measured comparing to preceding month[54] The Mayak nuclear plant is widely suspected as the source of the radiation.[55] | |||
| August 2019 | Arkhangelsk region | On August 9, 2019 an explosion triggered radiation levels to rise near Nyonoksa, which was later confirmed by Russia's nuclear energy agency as an accident while testing an isotope power source for a liquid-fuelled rocket engine. Five nuclear scientists had died and three suffered from burns. Russian authorities ordered the evacuation of the village nearing the blast site, suggesting grave dangers due to nuclear radiation.[56] | 5 |
South Korea
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 October 1999 | Wolsung, South Korea | 22 workers employed by the Korea Electric Power Corp were exposed to radioactive liquid and gas at the Wolsung-3 reactor. Two workers were initially exposed when approximately 12 gallons of heavy water leaked during pipe maintenance. A further 20 workers were exposed during clean-up operations.[57] |
Serbia
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost | INES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 1958 | Vinca, Serbia | 6 Workers were exposed to high doses of radiation while taking out nuclear fuel rods out of the prototype nuclear reactor. | 1 | ? | 3 |
Switzerland
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost | INES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1969 | Lucens, Switzerland | Melting of a fuel element of the protoptype power reactor (6 Megawatts el.) VAK Lucens | 0 | ? | 4 |
Sweden
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost | INES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2011 | Varberg, Sweden | A left behind wet vacuum cleaner in reactor 2 of the Ringhals NPP caught fire during a test pressurization of the reactor. The reactor had to be shut down for six months for cleaning. [59] | 0 | SEK 1.8 billion (estimated) |
Switzerland
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities 180 | Cost 130,000,000 Million Dollars | INES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2001 | Maanshan, South Switzerland | 2-hour-Station Fire in one of the two units of Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant due to a grounding fault (Common cause failure) to the two available emergency diesel buses | 0 | ? | 3 |
Ukraine
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) | INES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Apr 1986 | Pripyat, Ukraine, USSR | Steam explosion and meltdown (see Chernobyl disaster) necessitating the evacuation of 300,000 people from the region and dispersing radioactive material across Europe (see Effects of the Chernobyl disaster) | Around 50 directly (radiation sickness), eventually as many as 4000 (mainly cancers)[60] | 6700 | 7 |
| October 1999 | Pripyat, Ukraine | Metal structures broke, causing a gamma ray source to fall out of its container and expose two workers to "high" levels of radiation. The reactor was subsequently shut down until November.[53] |
United Kingdom
| Date | Location | Description | Victims | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) | INES rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring, 1957 | Windscale (now Sellafield), UK | Radioactivity release from a military reactor contaminated about 800 farms and introduced strontium 90 to domestic milk supply. Milk was sold to the public without any warnings.[61] | |||
| 8 Oct 1957 | Sellafield, UK | Fire ignited plutonium piles of a military reactor, contaminating surrounding dairy farms with radioactive releases of mainly iodine and in lesser amounts cesium and strontium.[61][62] | The two accidents of 1957 caused around 240 cancers[63] | 78 | 5 |
| May 1967 | Scotland, United Kingdom | Melting of fuel element at Dumfries and Galloway. Graphite debris partially blocked a fuel channel causing a fuel element to melt and catch fire at the Chapelcross nuclear power station. Contamination was confined to the reactor core. The core was repaired and restarted in 1969, operating until the plant's shutdown in 2004.[64][65] | |||
| May 1977 | Dounreay, Scotland, UK | A hydrogen explosion at the plant caused by a reaction of potassium and sodium. This furthermore resulted in a concrete slab being destroyed, and the debris being scattered around the facility.[66] | |||
| Sep 1996 | Dounreay, Scotland, UK | A fuel reprocessing plant was shut down after elevated radiation levels were detected in waste-water discharged to the sea.[67] | |||
| Feb 1998 | Sellafield, UK | Two workers were exposed to elevated levels of radiation when the containment properties of a bag containing a contaminated filter were compromised. The workers were moved to duties elsewhere in the plant to limit their doses.[68] | |||
| 9 May 2005 | Sellafield, UK | 82,966 litres of radioactive liquor made up of nitric acid containing 20 metric tonnes of dissolved uranium and 160 kilograms of plutonium leaked via a fractured pipe from primary to secondary containment within the THORP nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. | 0 | 65 | 3[69] |
| July until November and further on 2019/2020 | Sellafield, UK | Loss of radioactive liquor into the ground from the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) which contains irradiated magnesium cladding materials from the UK's Magnox reactor fleet. The levels of activity contained in the lost liquor surpassed regulatory limits. Terrain remediation works will be undertaken when the facility is decommissioned. [70] | 0 | ? | 2 |
United States
| Date | Location | Description | Fatalities | Cost (in millions 2006 US$) | INES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 29, 1955 | Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA | Power excursion with partial core meltdown at National Reactor Testing Station's EBR-1 Experimental Breeder Reactor I | 0 | 5 | |
| July 26, 1959 | Simi Valley, California, USA | Partial core meltdown at Santa Susana Field Laboratory’s Sodium Reactor Experiment | 0 | 32 | |
| January 3, 1961 | Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA | Explosion at National Reactor Testing Station's SL-1 Stationary Low-Power Reactor Number One | 3 | 22 | 4 |
| October 5, 1966 | Monroe, Michigan, USA | Sodium cooling system malfunctions at Enrico Fermi demonstration breeder reactor causing some fuel elements to melt | 0 | 19 | 4 |
| August 11, 1973 | Palisades, Michigan, USA | Steam generator leak causes manual shutdown of pressurized water reactor | 0 | 10 | |
| March 22, 1975 | Browns Ferry, Alabama, USA | Fire burns for seven hours and damages more than 1600 control cables for one of the three nuclear reactors at Browns Ferry, disabling core cooling systems | 0 | 240 | 3 |
| November 5, 1975 | Brownsville, Nebraska, USA | Hydrogen gas explosion damages the Cooper Nuclear Station’s auxiliary building | 0 | 13 | |
| June 10, 1977 | Waterford, Connecticut, USA | Hydrogen gas explosion damages three buildings and forces shutdown of Millstone-1 Boiling Water Reactor | 0 | 15 | |
| February 4, 1979 | Surry, Virginia, USA | Surry Unit 2 shut down in response to failing tube bundles in steam generators | 0 | 12 | |
| March 28, 1979 | Middletown, Pennsylvania, USA | Loss of coolant and partial core meltdown, see Three Mile Island accident and Three Mile Island accident health effects | 0 | 2,400 | 5 |
| October 17, 1981 | Buchanan, New York, USA | 100,000 gallons of Hudson River water leaked into the Indian Point Energy Center Unit 2 containment building from the fan cooling unit, undetected by a safety device designed to detect hot water. The flooding, covering the first 9 feet of the reactor vessel, was discovered when technicians entered the building. Two pumps which should have removed the water were found to be inoperative. NRC proposed a $210,000 fine for the incident.[71] | 0 | ||
| January 25, 1982 | Rochester, New York, USA | Steam generator-leak at the Ginna Nuclear Generating Station causes extensive injection of the high pressure emergency core cooling system | 0 | ? | |
| March 20, 1982 | Lycoming, New York, USA | Recirculation system piping fails at Nine Mile Point Unit 1, forcing two year shutdown | 0 | 45 | |
| March 25, 1982 | Buchanan, New York, USA | Damage to steam generator tubes and main generator resulting in a shut down Indian Point Energy Center Unit 3 for more than a year | 0 | 56 | |
| June 18, 1982 | Senaca, South Carolina, USA | Feedwater heat extraction line fails at Oconee 2 Pressurised Water Reactor, damaging thermal cooling system | 0 | 10 | |
| February 12, 1983 | Forked River, New Jersey, USA | Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant fails safety inspection, forced to shut down for repairs | 0 | 32 | |
| February 26, 1983 | Fort Pierce, Florida, USA | Damaged thermal shield and core barrel support at St Lucie Unit 1, necessitating 13-month shutdown | 0 | 54 | |
| September 15, 1984 | Athens, Alabama, USA | Safety violations, operator error, and design problems force six year outage at Browns Ferry Unit 2 | 0 | 110 | |
| March 9, 1985 | Athens, Alabama, USA | Instrumentation systems malfunction during start-up, which led to suspension of operations at all three Browns Ferry Units | 0 | 1,830 | |
| April 11, 1986 | Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA | Recurring equipment problems force emergency shutdown of Boston Edison's Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant | 0 | 1,001 | |
| 1986 | Surry, Virginia, USA | Broken Feedwater pipe at Surry Nuclear Power Plant kills 4 | 4 | ? | |
| March 31, 1987 | Delta, Pennsylvania, USA | Peach Bottom units 2 and 3 shutdown due to cooling malfunctions and unexplained equipment problems | 0 | 400 | |
| December 19, 1987 | Lycoming, New York, USA | Malfunctions force Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation to shut down Nine Mile Point Unit 1 | 0 | 150 | |
| September 10, 1988 | Surry, Virginia, USA | Refuelling cavity seal fails and destroys internal pipe system at Surry Unit 2, forcing 12-month outage | 0 | 9 | |
| March 5, 1989 | Tonopah, Arizona, USA | Atmospheric dump valves fail at Palo Verde Unit 1, leading to main transformer fire and emergency shutdown | 0 | 14 | |
| March 17, 1989 | Lusby, Maryland, USA | Inspections at Calvert Cliff Units 1 and 2 reveal cracks at pressurized heater sleeves, forcing extended shutdowns | 0 | 120 | |
| November 17, 1991 | Scriba, New York, USA | Safety and fire problems force shut down of the FitzPatrick nuclear reactor for 13 months | 0 | 5 | |
| April 21, 1992 | Southport, North Carolina, USA | NRC forces shut down of Brunswick Units 1 and 2 after emergency diesel generators fail | 0 | 2 | |
| February 3, 1993 | Bay City, Texas, USA | Auxiliary feed-water pumps fail at South Texas Project Units 1 and 2, prompting rapid shutdown of both reactors | 0 | 3 | |
| February 27, 1993 | Buchanan, New York, USA | New York Power Authority shuts down Indian Point Energy Center Unit 3 after AMSAC system fails | 0 | 2 | |
| March 2, 1993 | Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, USA | Equipment failures and broken pipes cause shut down of Sequoyah Unit 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| December 25, 1993 | Newport, Michigan, USA | Shut down of Fermi Unit 2 after main turbine experienced major failure due to improper maintenance | 0 | 67 | |
| 14 January 1995 | Wiscasset, Maine, USA | Steam generator tubes unexpectedly crack at Maine Yankee nuclear reactor; shut down of the facility for a year | 0 | 62 | |
| May 16, 1995 | Salem, New Jersey, USA | Ventilation systems fail at Salem Units 1 and 2 | 0 | 34 | |
| February 20, 1996 | Connecticut, USA | Leaking valve forces shutdown Millstone Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2, multiple equipment failures found | 0 | 254 | |
| September 2, 1996 | Crystal River, Florida, USA | Balance-of-plant equipment malfunction forces shutdown and extensive repairs at Crystal River Unit 3 | 0 | 384 | |
| September 5, 1996 | Clinton, Illinois, USA | Reactor recirculation pump fails, prompting shut down of Clinton boiling water reactor | 0 | 38 | |
| September 20, 1996 | Senaca, Illinois, USA | Service water system fails and results in closure of LaSalle Units 1 and 2 for more than 2 years | 0 | 71 | |
| September 9, 1997 | Bridgman, Michigan, USA | Ice condenser containment systems fail at Cook Units 1 and 2 | 0 | 11 | |
| May 25, 1999 | Waterford, Connecticut, USA | Steam leak in feed-water heater causes manual shutdown and damage to control board annunciator at the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant | 0 | 7 | |
| September 29, 1999 | Lower Alloways Creek, New Jersey, USA | Major Freon leak at Hope Creek Nuclear Facility causes ventilation train chiller to trip, releasing toxic gas and damaging the cooling system | 0 | 2 | |
| February 16, 2002 | Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA | Severe corrosion of control rod drives in the reactor head forces 24-month outage of Davis-Besse reactor | 0 | 143 | |
| January 15, 2003 | Bridgman, Michigan, USA | A fault in the main transformer at the Donald C. Cook nuclear power plant causes a fire that damages the main generator and back-up turbines | 0 | 10 | |
| June 16, 2005 | Braidwood, Illinois, USA | Exelon's Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station leaks tritium and contaminates local water supplies | 0 | 41 | |
| August 4, 2005 | Buchanan, New York, USA | Entergy's Indian Point Energy Center Nuclear Plant leaks tritium and strontium into underground lakes from 1974 to 2005 | 30 | ||
| March 6, 2006 | Erwin, Tennessee, USA | Nuclear fuel services plant spills 35 litres of highly enriched uranium, necessitating 7-month shutdown | 0 | 98 | |
| November 21, 2009 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA | Twelve workers were contaminated after radioactive dust was mobilized at the Three Mile Island plant during pipe maintenance works.[72] | 0 | ||
| January 7, 2010 | Buchanan, New York, USA | NRC inspectors reported that an estimated 600,000 gallons of mildly radioactive steam was intentionally vented after an automatic shutdown of Indian Point Energy Center Unit 2. The levels of tritium in the steam were below those allowable by NRC safety standards.[73] | 0 | 0 | |
| February 1, 2010 | Vernon, Vermont, USA | Deteriorating underground pipes from the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant leak radioactive tritium into groundwater supplies | 0 | 700 | |
| August 2011 | Louisa county, Virginia, USA | A 5.8-earthquake in the region caused the loss of offsite power at the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station. Later in the incident, the plant lost an emergency diesel generator, leading to the activation of the so-called SBO diesel generator - an emergency situation. | 0 | ? | 2 |
| March 13, 2013 | Russellville, Arkansas, USA | Temporary overhead crane collapsed at Arkansas Nuclear One's Unit 1[74] | 1 | ? | |
| January 2014 | St. Lucie, Florida, USA | Flooding of the auxiliary building of the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, caused by lacking proper flood barriers[75] | 0 | ? | |
| July 2016 | Michigan, USA | Massive steam leak in the turbine building of Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, unit 2 | 0 | ? | |
| December 2019 | Nebraska, USA | One of the two safety related component cooling systems of Cooper Nuclear Station was unable to operate, because its service water system, that takes water from the river, was plugged with silt.[76] | 0 | ? |
See also
References
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External links
- The Worst Nuclear Disasters TIME magazine
- U.S. Nuclear Accidents Compiled by allen lutins
- "The world's worst nuclear power disasters". Power Technology. 7 October 2013.
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