The Union of Concerned Scientists is warning that two potentially vulnerable coastal nuclear power stations at  Brunswick Units 1 and 2 in South Port, NC andSurry Units 1 and 2 in Rushmore, VA are in the direct path of Hurricane Florence.  Of concern, UCS reports that the operators of both Brunswick, two GE Mark I boiling water reactors and Surry, two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors, have not publicly documented that they successfully completed flood protection upgrades required by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the aftermath of Japan’s March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.  The Brunswick units are nearly identical in design and construction to the Fukushima units that were destroyed in explosions and meltdowns resulting from the prolonged loss of electrical power caused by a massive earthquake and tsunami.  A storm surge of 9 to 13 feet is anticipated at the location of the Brunswick units simultaneous to the prolonged flooding from inundating rain. Hurricane force winds are expected to knock out the electrical grid servicing the nuclear power stations’ safety systems, placing the reactors on emergency power.

Union of Concerned Scientists: