Explosion Rocks Doel Nuclear Power Plant in Belgium

Fire reported at Doel nuclear power plant

An explosion occurred Saturday night at Reactor 1 of Doel nuclear power plant (NPP) located in northern Belgium, local media reported.

The 40-year-old unit, the oldest in the country, is one of 4 reactors at the plant and has a name-plate capacity of 454Mw.

Belgium’s other NPP, Tihange, houses 3 reactor units that began operating commercially between 1975 and 1985.

Following an incident at Doel in August 2012, cracks were discovered at the reactor pressure vessel of the No 3 reactor,  sparking international inspections of similar vessels manufactured by the now-bankrupt Dutch firm Rotterdam Drydock Company, said a report.

“The discovery of the cracks at Doel’s Unit 3 by the use of a new ultrasound measuring technique, sent a nervous ripple through the international nuclear industry.

“Rotterdam Drydock Company had sold 21 reactor vessels to nuclear power plants in the US, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK,” Associated Press belatedly reported.

At least 9 million people live within a 75 km radius of Doel, and 5.76 million others live within a similar distance from Tihange NPP.

There was no reliable details available concerning the latest incident at Doel, as of posting.

‘Strong’ Quake a Prelude to Major Seismotectonic Activity?

M5.4 quake strikes near Waiouru, New Zealand

Centered at 39.40S, 175.95E (about 60km S. of Lake Taupo), the quake occurred at a depth of 38km, said NZ’s geonet.

The event occurred about 60km S. of Lake Taupo, and 30km SW of Ruapehu at 05:42:11UTC on November 1 2015.

Lake Taupo lies in the caldera of the Taupo Super Volcano. With a surface area of 620 km, it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand.

Taupo has produced two of the world’s most violent eruptions in recent geological times including the most recent major explosion, the Hatepe eruption, which occurred about 1,800 years ago. It was the most violent eruption in the world over the last 5 millennia, and NZ’s worst in 27 millennia.

The explosion, a VEI-7 eruption, ejected more than 120 km³ of tephra, a quarter of which was ejected almost instantaneously. The ash from the eruption is said to have turned the sky red over China and Rome.

Hikurangi Trench, located east of the region where the quake occurred, is subject to high rates of convergence between the Australia and Pacific plates, making it as one of the most seismically active areas in the world.

Nearby Cities [USGS/EHP]

• 25km (16mi) ENE of Waiouru, New Zealand
• 79km (49mi) W of Napier [population: 65,000]
• 81km (50mi) WNW of Hastings [population: 92,000]
• 82km (51mi) S of Taupo [population: 24,000]
• 230km (143mi) NNE of Wellington [population: 400,000]