Update on Plants in Japan

Things do seem to be getting worse in Japan. Now there are a total of 3 plants involved in the accident. Yes, I am calling it an accident because that it what it is. No one maliciously caused what occurred. But we need to search through the all the reports to the truth.

Unfortunately for my business that is hard to do. No one is going to say anything definitive until it is definitive. This will probably take months. But we can cut through some of the hype and media frenzy.

First, while the design of the containment structures at one of the plants is a type that may have some design flaws, not all plants that are involved are of that type.

Secondly, the design of the containment structures, flawed or not, was NOT the cause of what is going on. The cause my friends was the loss of power that occurred as the tsunami carried away the fuel oil tanks that supplied the emergency diesel generators. Once they were gone, the fate of the plants was sealed.

I am still having a hard time understanding how someone would build a plant that close to the ocean and leave fuel oil tanks above ground and virtually unprotected. I have worked at several plants of GE design. In fact, I was licensed to run one of them in North Carolina that had the same containment design that one of the plants in Japan has. I have never even seen the entire emergency diesel generator fuel oil system that unprotected. In the US plants I have worked at the all but the main supply tank (which can hold upwards of 500,00 gallons of fuel oil at some sites) is the only tank that is above ground. There is a supply of fuel oil for use only by these emergency generators that is below ground and are in watertight compartments simialr to those found on submarines. In short, they are well protected. Are these things full proof. No, nothing is. But they are tough I tell you that.

If I get any more updates from work I'll let you all know so stay tuned.