— Tweet — Nuclear Power: Accident in France Kills 1, Injures 4 — NPR, and the Associated Press report “An explosion at a nuclear waste facility in southern France killed one person and injured four on Monday… The Nuclear Safety Authority declared the accident “terminated” soon after the blast at a furnace in the Centraco site, in the southern Languedoc-Roussillon region, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the city of Avignon. One of the injured suffered severe burns.”

The DC Bureau reported “The workers were operating a high temperature industrial oven that burns low-level nuclear waste in a sealed building when the unit blew up. The worker who was killed was burned so badly his body was carbonized, according to officials.”

The French Nuclear Safety Authority, analogous to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or maybe Vichy, designated the accident as a 1 on a scale from 0 to 9.

While a death in an industrial accident is tragic, and while a worker could die as a result of injuries sustained falling off the nacelle of a wind turbine or a roof while installing or working on a solar array, it is probably impossible for a worker to get ‘Carbonized’ working on a wind turbine or solar farm.

Back in 2008, Greg Keller, of the Associated Press, wrote here, “overflowing tub at a French nuclear plant spilled uranium into the groundwater. Then a burst pipe leaked uranium at another nuclear site, raising an alert on Friday…. The two accidents within two weeks, both at sites run by French nuclear giant Areva, have raised questions about safety and control measures in one of the world’s most nuclear-dependent nations, and given fodder to anti-nuclear activists.

Critics, myself included, say these kinds of accidents are built into the nuclear system.

Back in May, 2011, Matthew Wald, in the New York Times, Friday, May 13, 2011, wrote, “Disaster Plan Problems Found at U.S. Nuclear Plants” (click here).

The good news is that the nuclear power industry is in decline. As noted in the press release announcing the World Watch report, “World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2010-2011: Nuclear Power in a Post-Fukushima World,” “the future of nuclear power was bleak even before the Fukushima disaster, said energy expert Mycle Schneider Wednesday at a press conference in Berlin, where he previewed an upcoming Worldwatch Institute report on the outlook of nuclear power.” the report is available here.“The industry was arguably on life support before Fukushima. When the history of this industry is written, Fukushima is likely to introduce its final chapter,” said Schneider, lead author of the new report, which was previewed in Berlin at an event hosted by the Heinrich Böll Foundation.”

But “on life support” means not dead. While many criticize the nuclear industry, the TVA, like the French Areva, which is also a government-owned entity, wants to spend another $4.9 billion to complete the Bellefonte 1 reactor.  (click here and here). Given that the plant is said to be 55% complete, and will be a 1.26 GW reactor, for  which the TVA already spent $1.6 billion the price tag will be $6.5 Billion for a 1.26 GW reactor. This works out to about $5.16 billion per GW. This is a bargain compared to what the TVA would have to spend if it was starting from scratch. If they are budgeting $4.9 billion for 45% of the reactor, basic algebra suggests that they would have to spend $10.89 Billion for a 1.26 GW reactor from scratch, or $8.64 per GW.

Perhaps the folks at the TVA should read the World Watch report, because, on the one hand they are bullish on the technology while on the other hand, like Areva, they embody everything that is wrong with nuclear power.

Covering the TVA nuclear power for The Tennessean, Anne Paine wrote,

A post-Fukushima inspection of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s nuclear plants by a federal oversight agency resulted in reports of no major safety issues, but critics question that conclusion.

Whistle-blower Ann Harris said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has downplayed what turned up, citing, for instance, an NRC statement that additional training could be needed in severe accident management.

Several Watts Bar Nuclear Plant emergency directors were not qualified as decision makers in severe accidents, the report for that facility says.

Harris said the additional training should be required.

This brings up another of the deep underlying challenges with nuclear power.  Very few students – 346 – graduate with Bachelor of Science degrees in nuclear engineering every year.