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News

In early September, the chief nuclear officers (CNOs) from the Utilities Service Alliance (USA) and the rest of the industry visited Japan to learn more about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear event.

The CNOs saw firsthand the damage at Fukushima Daiichi and Daini and discussed with their Japanese counterparts actions taken at the plants during and after the earthquake and tsunami. The U.S. and Japanese leaders also discussed safety culture, emergency preparedness and the importance of sharing information and operating experience.

“Earthquake and tsunami damage – that’s what I expected to see,” shared USA Board Vice Chairman Tim Rausch from PPL Susquehanna. “But what I saw was so much more than just damage. Riding through the countryside, within the six kilometer zone around the plant, there was a worker in full PCs and a respirator, standing in a field, scraping the top two inches of contaminated soil from the land and placing it into black plastic bags. Right next door, there was a huge farm field filled with these black bags. It is disturbing to see thousands of bags the size of small cars lined up in contamination storage fields.”

The trip was arranged by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) in collaboration with the Japan Nuclear Safety institute (JANSI) and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). This also marked the first time that American and Japanese chief nuclear officers had met collectively on such a large scale.

Since returning from Japan, Rausch and the other USA CNOs have been quick to share their experiences with employees and other stakeholders.

“It was truly a life altering experience,” explained USA Board Chairman Tom Joyce from PSEG Nuclear. “Each and every day we talk and practice nuclear safety. We saw firsthand the devastation that occurs when we fail to meet our obligation. For me, it only increased the significance and importance of the work we do.”


USA Board Vice Chairman Tim Rausch of PPL Susquehanna and other chief nuclear officers had to take extra precautions as they travelled around the Fukushima Daiichi site.