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Re: Ukraine's Chernobyl Plant Shut Down
Sandy - Not to worry, we (Americans) just sent $6 million installing TV monitors to
watch the Russian plants trip off line........!!!!
My opinion only
Tom Lashley
LashleyT@DTEenergy.com
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US, Russia Co-Monitor Nuke Plants for Y2K
NewsMax.com
December 2, 1999
After spending millions helping Russian nuclear power plants prepare for the year 2000,
the United States will watch by television how well it pays off.
At the same time, Russian experts will be monitoring U.S. nuclear plants, also by TV.
And of course each will be monitoring its own.
In the past two years, American taxpayers have spent some $6 million helping the
countries of the former Soviet Union bring their reactors into - or at least closer to
- Y2K compliance.
All 132 nuclear plants in the two countries are now video-linked to stacks of monitors
in both Washington and Moscow.
Russia has 65 reactors, all of its own design, still up and running. The US has 67.
As the year 2000 begins to roll in from the Bering Sea to the Hawaiian islands, across
22 of the world's 24 time zones, Russian nuclear technicians will be in Washington
assisting their American counterparts, Americans in Moscow to answer questions there.
To show off the Washington command center, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson invited the
press to the basement of his headquarters building Wednesday to see firsthand the array
of TV monitors focused on reactors.
Striving also to allay fears, he said:
"While we don't expect major problems, major accidents, there may be glitches and we
have to be ready on both sides, in the United States and Russia.
"What this facility will do is keep us in constant communication with Russia on
potential Y2K problems as well as any other nuclear emergencies or any other types of
emergencies between the two countries.
"The emphasis of this facility is on the joint monitoring of Russian power plants and
American power plants. In addition, at these joint command centers we will have
American specialists in Russia and Russian specialists here in case there are some
emergencies."
The concern is that some computers in nuclear-powered electric plants may still not be
programmed to distinguish the digits 00 as 2000, thus throwing areas of the world into
an energy brown-out or even black-out.
It sounds like a simple glitch to fix, but it's not. Costs of upgrading the world's
computers, which control just about every aspect of life today, are astronomical.
As part of the display of interactive, live TV linkage in this mutual monitoring
program, Richardson was joined from the Moscow command center by Russian Atomic Energy
Minister Yevgeny Adamov, who also exuded confidence.
He said Russia has completed two "proficient and professional" safety drills, with a
third set for Dec. 8.
Richardson added Russia's more primitive reactors are less susceptible to the
"millennium bug" because they don't rely on digital technology as much as do the later
American plants.
He was less sanguine about the one reactor still operating at the Chernobyl plant in
the Ukraine, site of the world's worst nuclear disaster:
"The Ukraine has experienced some computer problems. And we have joint programs to work
with the Ukraine on the Chernobyl reactor.
"We had hoped the Chernobyl reactor could be closed soon. But the Ukrainians have
decided to hold off on that."
Sandy Perle wrote:
> Not sure if my response to Bill's comments went through the various
> servers:
>
> Bill,
>
> The issue has nothing to do with missing power for summer peaks
> Chernobyl has already been shutdown for over 6 months of repairs.
> After start-up, it didn't operate for just a matter of days. There is
>
> consensus that the Ukraine, as well as other 3rd world countries are
> not ready for Y2K. Therefore, with all of this information, it is my
> opinion that we'd all be better off if this accident prone facility
> remain shutdown, until after the 1st, to ensure that the industry
> does not have the final nail in the coffin. Our industry can not
> tolerate any problems during the next month, at a minimum.
>
> > I totally disagree. How would you enjoy it if the San Onofre Nuclear
> > Generating Station, near Dana Point, were to shutdown from June until
> > September & left you with no electricity for the summer???
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Sandy Perle Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100
> Director, Technical Extension 2306
> ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division Fax:(714) 668-3149
> ICN Biomedicals, Inc. E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
> ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
> Costa Mesa, CA 92626
>
> Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/scperle
> ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com
>
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