Nuclear plant: Security, safety are top concerns in wake of 9/11Jan 12 - Post-Bulletin (Rochester, MN)
Xcel Energy media relations specialist Tom Hoen helped arrange a recent tour of the Prairie Island nuclear plant, which is in the midst of a $1 billion upgrade. Yet when it came time to pass through the plant's security gates, Xcel security guards refused to grant Hoen access He'd forgotten to submit his own name for a background check. That's just one example of the new reality at the Red Wing facility since the terrorist attacks made on the United States on September 11, 2001 . The Nuclear Regulatory Commission calls it "Defense in Depth." While many of the added security measures are considered top secret -- "for obvious reasons," Hoen said -- many were obvious at the start. A guard at the main gate must check people's credentials before granting access. The idea of ramming the gate to gain access is stymied by a narrow, curved entrance lined with large concrete barriers, preventing a vehicle from gaining speed. Xcel officials identified many other security measures, but the P-B was strictly prohibited from detailing them in print. At the end of a walking tour of the plant, the head of security went through photos taken by a Post-Bulletin photographer to ensure that no security measures were accidentally revealed. "They take it pretty seriously," said Terry Pickens , Xcel's director of nuclear regulatory policy. "Prior to 9/11, this was the parking lot. "We've always had security cameras, but now we have a lot more strategic locations after Sept. 11 ." Xcel declined arequest for a financial breakdown of the security measures installed during the past 14 years, but Pickens said the facility is monitored down to the smallest detail. For example, the plant includes walking lanes for employees moving between buildings -- including a new 77,000-square-foot administrative building that opened just last month. If employees are found walking outside those lanes, management is authorized to pull them aside for an immediate training session, Pickens said. "The idea is if we take care of the small details, we won't have to worry about the big ones," Pickens said. a number of federal safety initiatives have also been adopted by the NRC, particularly since the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima , Japan . For example, a 3-foot-thick concrete wall now protects the nuclear reactor. The wall is a precaution against planes being flown into the facility, similar to what happened at the World Trade Center . Tests conducted with a F-4 Phantom fighter jet at 550 MPH revealed that the concrete was penetrated just 3 inches. Though Prairie Island has nine permanently installed water pumps to keep the nuclear core cool, the NRC now requires multiple portable pumps to be available throughout the facility in case of emergency. Additionally, portable pumps are stored around the country as a third line of defense if all on-site measures were to fail. They're positioned to be air-dropped at any nuclear facility within 24 hours, Pickens said. The concrete towers that store spent nuclear fuel are protected by multiple chain-link fences and surrounded by an earthen berm, which Pickens says severely restricts the release of radioactive material. Heavily armed guards also patrol the area. Kevin Davison , Prairie Island's site vice president, maintains that "safety's our ticket to the dance" and that he's invited those with local interest in the facility, such as Red Wing and the Indian community, to tour the plant so everyone is on the same page. "We're lucky to have really good neighbors in the city of Red Wing and the Prairie Island Indian Community ," Davison said. "We talk all the time. ... People are afraid of the unknown, so we like bringing them in. This isn't unlike any other energy source, except this is nuclear -- not coal or natural gas." The nuclear facility has a fully trained firefighting unit on the grounds, with five people on duty at all times as first responders. However, officials from Goodhue County , Red Wing and Homeland Security play a role in safety responses. Training sessions for city and county agencies within 10 miles are held each summer based on the federal guidelines. Agencies within 50 miles -- including Rochester -- are also considered part of the impacted zone during a radiological event. A safety exercise is conducted for the 50-mile zone every six years. The safety precautions are a costly reminder of the worst-case scenarios that can occur at a nuclear facility. However, Red Wing officials contend that Xcel has been a good neighbor over the past 40 years and that their most significant concerns have been created by the federal government's lack of action on spent nuclear fuel. "As far as I'm concerned, we don't really have issues with Xcel," said Red Wing City Council member Peggy Rehder , who frequently travels to the nation's capital to lobby on nuclear waste issues. "The issues we have are caused by the federal government." Red Wing Finance Director Marshall Hallock added: "We understand that there's significant costs and concerns with having a nuclear power plant in your backyard, whether it's (decommissioning), pollution or the minimal chance of an incident. We've done a pretty good job of learning how to live together, especially with spent nuclear fuel. ... We continue to work with them about the federal government abdicating their responsibility for removing the spent fuel to a national repository." ___ (c)2015 the Post-Bulletin Visit the Post-Bulletin at www.postbulletin.com
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