Over one in 10 nuke plants worldwide can be hit by natural disasters
April 3rd, 2011 - 12:28 pm ICT by ANITokyo, Apr 3 (ANI): Over one in ten nuclear power plants worldwide are at risk from earthquakes or tsunamis similar to the natural disaster that crippled Japan’s Fukushima reactors, warns a research.
According to a new study by the analysts Maplecroft, many at-risk plants are in countries less able to cope with a disaster than Japan.
Out of 442 nuclear power stations globally, over one in 10 are located in places deemed to be at high or extreme risk of earthquakes. Such places include Japan, the US, Taiwan, Armenia and Slovenia, says research.
“Although Japanese nuclear facilities are particularly exposed, other countries could also face similar risks,” The Independent quoted Helen Hodge, Maplecroft’s natural hazards analyst, as saying.
“South Korea, Taiwan, southern China, India, Pakistan and the west coast of the US have operating or planned nuclear facilities on tsunami-exposed coastlines, while nuclear sites in areas of high or extreme risk of earthquakes can be found in western US, Taiwan, Armenia, Iran and Slovenia,” Hodge added.
The earthquake-and-tsunami nuclear crisis in Japan has raised concerns about the risks posed by natural disasters to nuclear plants worldwide.
As a result, several nations, including Italy, Switzerland and Germany, have put new reactor plans on hold.
The nuclear plant at Fukushimi was crippled after an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan last month. (ANI)
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