Reports noted that in the wake of the problems experienced in the Japanese nuclear reactors after the earthquake and tsunami, concerns are being expressed in the United States as well over the safety state of US nuclear reactors as well. It is being reported that US reactors have similar safety measures as the Japanese reactors. This has put the plans for nuclear energy sector expansion in the US under the scanner. According to the reports, given that nuclear energy has been a sensitive issue in the US [courtesy the Three Mile Island case] the recent events in Japan will only erode support in the US for the expansion of nuclear energy sector. 1

According to the reports, although exactly what happened at Japan’s nuclear power plants is still being sorted out, most of the nuclear plants in the United States share some or all of the risk factors that played a role at Fukushima Daiichi: locations on tsunami-prone coastlines or near earthquake faults, aging plants and backup electrical systems that rely on diesel generators and batteries that could fail in extreme circumstances. 2 However, the biggest problem with news reports seems to be – can any alternative safety measures [assuming they are better ones than the ones US and Japan have] be able to withstand the destruction caused by an earthquake of a magnitude similar to the one seen in Japan? Perhaps more in depth analysis is only possible once more credible information regarding the Japanese nuclear plant is known in the future.

• 1. “U.S. Nuclear Industry Faces New Uncertainty”, The New York Times, March 13, 2011 at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/science/earth/14politics.html?partner=...
• 2. “U.S. Nuclear Plants have same Risks and Backups and Japan Counterparts” The New York Times, March 13, 2011 at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14industry.html