Spring snowstorm adds to flooding potential for the Midwest
A major spring snowstorm dumped heavy snow in excess of six inches over a wide swath of the Upper Midwest this week, adding to a snowpack that is already near or in excess of record levels over Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. This is bad news for residents in flood-prone areas of the Upper Midwest, as the new storm added more than half an inch of melted rainfall equivalent to the record wet snowpack. When all that snow melts in April, we can expect major and possibly record flooding for North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and the Upper Mississippi River north of St. Louis, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Their March Spring Flood Outlook released last week warned: A large swath of the North Central United States is at risk of moderate to major flooding this spring. Heavy late summer and autumn precipitation have left soils saturated and streams running high before the winter freeze-up. National Weather Service models show this year's snowpack contains a water content ranked among the highest of the last 60 years, which is similar to the past two years. This threat area extends from northeastern Montana through Wisconsin and along the Mississippi River south to St. Louis. For the third consecutive year, forecasters predict major flooding along the Red River of the North, which forms the state line between eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Other areas of the Midwest primed for major flooding include Devils Lake in North Dakota, the Milk River in Northeastern Montana, the James and Big Sioux Rivers in South Dakota, the Minnesota River, and the Mississippi River from its headwaters near St. Paul, Minnesota, downstream to St. Louis.
Figure 1. U.S. spring 2011 flood risk. Image credit: NWS.
Figure 2. NOAA's latest significant river flood outlook shows that spring flooding is already occurring over South Dakota and on the Mississippi River near its junction with the Ohio River, but is not yet widespread across the Upper Midwest.
There is a huge amount of snow on the ground in North Dakota along the tributaries of the Red River, thanks to fall precipitation that was 150% - 300% of normal, and winter snows that have dumped up to 400% more precipitation than usual. If one were to melt this snow, it would amount to 4 - 6 inches of rain. If heavy rains occur at the same time that the snow melts, there is the potential for the greatest flood in history to affect the cities of Fargo and Grand Forks, the largest and third largest cities in North Dakota. NWS is giving a 35% chance that Fargo will see its greatest flood in history this spring, up from the 20% chance they gave in their February spring flood outlook.
The situation is similar in Minnesota, which has received about double its normal precipitation over the past 3 to 4 months, resulting in the 5th snowiest winter on record in Minneapolis. Snow depths are in excess of 20 inches over wide swaths of of the state, and this snow has a very high water content equivalent to 4 - 6 inches of rain. NWS is giving a 95% chance that the Mississippi River at St. Paul will exceed major flood stage this spring.
In South Dakota, heavy snows this winter have also left a snowpack with a high water content over the northeast corner of the state. The NWS is predicting a 25% chance that the the James River at Huron, SD will reach its highest flood height in history, and a 50% chance for the Big Sioux River at Brookings, SD.
Figure 3. The snow water equivalent of the Upper Midwest's snowpack as of March 24, 2011. Large sections of Minnesota and North Dakota have the equivalent of 3.9 - 5.9 inches of rain (purple colors) stored in their snowpack. Image credit: NWS/NOHRSC.
When will all this flooding occur?
The latest guidance from the GFS model predicts winter-like conditions will persist over the Upper Midwest for the next week, with no major storms for the region through early next week. Late next week, there is the potential for a snowstorm that could bring an additional 0.5 - 1" of melted equivalent snow, though this is very uncertain at this point. The first chance of a major thaw will not occur until Sunday, April 3. This will give some time for the current pulse of flood waters generated during last week's warm spell over South Dakota and southern Minnesota to move downstream, and makes the peak of this year's spring flood unlikely to occur until at least the second week of April. Looking back at past great floods in the Upper Midwest, the record 2009 Red River flood peaked on March 28 in Fargo. The great 1997 Red River flood that devastated Grand Forks, causing $3.5 billion in damage, crested on April 18. St. Paul's greatest flood in history crested on April 19, 1965. I expect this year's peak flood will most likely arrive during the 3rd week of April.
Mostly offshore winds expected over Japan for the next week
Radioactive plumes emitted from Japan's troubled Fukushima nuclear power plant will mostly head eastwards out to sea over the next week, thanks to high pressure that will dominate Japan's weather. Latest trajectory plots using NOAA's HYSPLIT model do not show air from the Fukushima plant heading towards Tokyo over the next four days.
Jeff Masters
10 inches of snow today. Not good if you're a robin.
Reader Comments
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ya'll enjoy the day, peace man, right on.
BBC reporting the 10 million reading was erroneous but no idea yet what the correct reading should have been.....
lol - morning Aqua. we are all doom.
I just took a quick look at the SST's in the ATL. For the most part - they're average to above average particularly in the GOMEX, while the Caribbean remains pretty cool compared to 2010.
If I had to determine an 'analog year' just based on the SST patterns in place - I'd go with 2008. Major difference though is off the Caribbean islands.
I've heard that line before. And others like it. I am assuming the worst until somebody says or does something sensible to cause me to change my mind. "Confusion" or "errors" won't do it. That quota has been used up.
WTO
I have really missed those SST maps. I look forward to seeing hundreds more as we go forward into the season. j/k, although there is some truth to it.
Edit: it seems the warm temperatures extend significantly further north in the MDR than at this time in 2008. There is much more to it than SST, of course.
Yea, Kyodo ran a very brief scrolling headline a bit ago that said something to the effect of, "TEPCO says '10 million times' reading slightly erroneous"
That's very comforting.
BREAKING NEWS: Operators of Japan nuclear plant say huge spike in radiation levels was a mistake
I love the language. It was definitely a mistake, but were the readings inaccurate?
Those examining the injured workers estimated that they had been exposed to 2 to 6 Sv. That is on the basis of a physical exam and the damage to the skin. Not sure what kind of (significant) error can be made there.
It was stated that the radiation level at the water surface was 1000 mSv. At that rate, and given the 250 mSv maximum annual dosage, an unexposed worker could work for max 15 minutes to stay below 250 mSv. If there is external contamination (there will be) the time will be shorter to allow for decontamination of garments, skin scrubbing etc. within the safe exposure window.
More bodies buried. They even tried to sow confusion on which reactor was having the problems. "It's no. 3 ... no, sorry, it's no. 2." I'm suspecting that the truth will arrive long after the problems are experienced going forward. Unless we see something REALLY blatant, like a massive steam explosion. Just like BP, they will hide it and worry more about the financial consequences than about the unfolding disaster itself. Or so it seems.
WTO
I like that "slightly" that they slid in there. Maybe it's only 9.5 million times more radioactive.
CRAZY
Maybe they just wanted to sound less "vociferous"
don't worry- just like all the oil in the gulf of mexico, all this radiation will magicly disappear, too.
how do you spell magicly? ok, nevermind
wait- the oil was never there in the first place, right? no...uhm, oil is good for us. So is radiation.
This really is BP all over again. First my seafood, now my spinach.
That dry line is exploding........be careful people. Have a good day! Its gonna be rocking it appears.
Shutting Hal down once again. :(
PROCESSES AND FORTUITOUS SMALLER-SCALE BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS
That's just what I was thinking.
Frontal zone/outflow boundary on visible fromSC/Central GA and on into LA.
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0757 AM CDT SUN MAR 27 2011
VALID 271300Z - 281200Z
...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE CNTRL GULF CST REGION
EWD TO CSTL GA/NRN FL/SRN SC...
...SYNOPSIS...
ZONAL FLOW WILL AGAIN PREVAIL OVER MUCH OF THE U.S...ON SRN SIDE OF
OMEGA BLOCK CENTERED OVER CNTRL CANADA. SHORTWAVE IMPULSE NOW OVER
CO SHOULD REACH ERN KS/NE OK BY THIS EVE...BEFORE DEAMPLIFYING
SOMEWHAT AS IT CONTINUES E INTO ERN KY/ERN TN BY 12Z MON.
OTHERWISE...SATELLITE AND MODEL ANALYSES SUGGEST THAT...AT BEST...
ONLY VERY LOW-AMPLITUDE DISTURBANCES IN THE SUBTROPICAL JET WILL
AFFECT REGIONS FARTHER TO THE SOUTH /I.E...FROM E TX AND LA TO THE
GA-SC CST/.
AT LWR LVLS...FRONT/COMPOSITE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY NOW EXTENDING FROM
SRN SC/CNTRL GA WSW INTO SRN LA/SE TX EXPECTED TO SETTLE SLOWLY S
THROUGH THE PERIOD AS SHALLOW BUT VERY COOL AIR ASSOCIATED WITH UPR
MS VLY/GRT LKS SFC HIGH CONTINUES TO OOZE SWD. A WEAK WAVE/
INFLECTION MAY PERSIST OVER GA TODAY...NEAR INTERSECTION OF FRONT
AND OUTFLOW BOUNDARY.
...CNTRL GULF CST INTO AL/GA/SRN SC AND FAR NRN FL...
SVR THREAT AND STORM COVERAGE EACH SHOULD MAXIMIZE THIS AFTN ALONG
AND S OF AFOREMENTIONED BAROCLINIC ZONE...WHERE COMBINATION OF SFC
HEATING AND RELATIVELY RICH MOISTURE /PW AOA 1.25 INCHES/ SHOULD
YIELD MLCAPE OF 1000-1500 J/KG. UPR LVL FORCING FOR ASCENT LIKELY
WILL REMAIN WEAK. BUT PRESENCE OF STG MID AND UPR-LVL FLOW /50-60
KTS AT 500 MB AND 90-110 KTS AT 250 MB/ WILL PROVIDE FAVORABLE DEEP
SHEAR AND STORM-RELATIVE WINDS FOR SUSTAINED/ORGANIZED UPDRAFTS. IN
ADDITION TO EPISODIC STORMS ALONG FRONT/OUTFLOW BOUNDARY...A BAND OF
STORMS ALSO MAY FORM FARTHER S WITHIN WARM SECTOR... SUPPORTED BY
925-850 MB CONFLUENCE FROM SE AL AND THE WRN FL PANHANDLE EWD INTO S
GA.
WIND PROFILES SHOULD BE LARGELY UNIDIRECTIONAL...WITH 40-50 KT
0-6 KM SHEAR LIKELY TO BE ORIENTED ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO AT LEAST
PORTIONS OF THE FRONT/OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. THIS MAY FOSTER THREAT FOR
SPLITTING SUPERCELLS WITH HAIL AND DMGG WINDS. TORNADOES
ALSO MAY OCCUR. BUT GIVEN OVERALL SETUP...TORNADO THREAT WILL BE
CONDITIONAL AND WILL VARY LOCALLY...DEPENDING ON STORM-SCALE
PROCESSES AND FORTUITOUS SMALLER-SCALE BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS. THIS
POTENTIAL MAY BE GREATEST NEAR SECONDARY OUTFLOW BOUNDARY OVER THE
SAVANNAH RVR VLY OF ERN GA/SC. THE SVR THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER
SUNSET GIVEN WEAK LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR ASCENT AND LOW-LVL
STABILIZATION.
....ARKLATEX TO LWR MS VLY...
GLANCING INFLUENCE OF CO UPR IMPULSE WILL ENHANCE DEEP SHEAR AND
LOW-LVL WAA/ISENTROPIC ASCENT IN POST-FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT FROM THE
ARKLATEX INTO ERN AR/NRN LA. CONTINUING PRESENCE OF EML WILL
ENHANCE ELEVATED INSTABILITY...WITH POCKETS/STREAKS OF 1500 J/KG
MUCAPE POSSIBLE. COUPLED WITH 40-50 KT CLOUD-LAYER SHEAR...SETUP
COULD YIELD A FEW STORMS WITH SVR HAIL.
...MID/UPR TX GULF CST... A VERY CONDITIONAL POTENTIAL FOR SVR SFC-BASED STORMS MAY EVOLVE
OVER THE MIDDLE AND UPR TX GULF CST...WHERE A SECONDARY BRANCH OF
LOW-LVL INFLOW WILL IMPINGE ON WRN END OF AFOREMENTIONED FRONT.
GIVEN STRENGTH OF EML CAP AND THE REGION/S DISTANCE FROM CNTRL PLNS
UPR IMPULSE...LIKELIHOOD FOR DEVELOPMENT ATTM LOOKS LOW.
HOWEVER...REGION WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED FOR POSSIBLE INCLUSION OF
LOW SVR PROBABILITIES IN LATER OTLKS.
..CORFIDI/STOPPKOTTE.. 03/27/2011
Oh, WX..... weather's great here today.... who knows how long it will last ....
I'm out for the nonce... have a great Sunday...
610 AM EDT SUN MAR 27 2011
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE MAINLY OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
.SYNOPSIS...
A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL SAG ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA TODAY...MOVING TO SOUTH GEORGIA BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING.
.PRIMARY HAZARDS...
THE PRIMARY HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP
WILL BE GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...HEAVY RAINS...AND DANGEROUS CLOUD-TO-
GROUND LIGHTNING. THE MOST FAVORABLE AREA GENERALLY SOUTH OF A
LINE FROM LAGRANGE TO AUGUSTA.
.DISCUSSION...
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING
NORTH OF A WARM FRONT LOCATED ALONG A CARROLLTON TO EATONTON LINE...
WITH MINIMAL INSTABILITY ACROSS THE AREA THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE CRITERIA. AS A SURFACE LOW CURRENTLY OVER
EASTERN ALABAMA...AND THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE
AREA...CAPES WILL INCREASE TO 1000 TO 2000 WITH LIFTED INDICES OF
-1 ACROSS MAINLY CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON. ISOLATED SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THIS AREA THIS AFTERNOON.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTERS ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED
TO SUBMIT REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THE WEB BY GOING TO
WEATHER.GOV/ATLANTA.
$$
Just one of a thousand mixed signals. I just read that a mere one-half liter of the seawater off of Fukushima contains as much radioactive iodine as a person can be safely exposed to in an entire year--followed by the TEPCO people saying, well, yes, that may be true, but it'll be diluted, so there's no need to worry.
Diluted. You know, just like the oil from the BP spill. Just like the mercury from every coal-fired power plant in the world.
To echo aqua: there are soundings of BP in TEPCO's dealings. Early on it was obvious that tens of thousands of barrels of oil were spewing from the Deepwater Horizon well, yet every time some scientists would come up with a very educated estimate, BP would respond by syaing, "Oh, that's too high; it's really no more than a few gallons per day at most." Now every time some high radioactivity reading is released to the public, TEPCO is right there to deny and/or downplay.
It's a depressingly--and predictably--familiar scene.
It is the 27th of March in Central Virginia ----- it is 29° and it is snowing.
Go figure!
Have 2 inches on the ground and expect another inch before noon.
Good grief.
I am not really in Dutch Harbor --- am I?
Nope -- Dutch is warmer and it isn't snowing.
LOL What crazy weather we are having.
Lookin forward to cane season and regular F5 events (in the blog)
maybe a Weatherstudent / JFV sighting
Seems like one of the water systems that directly supply coolant sprung a leak with radiation levels that high.
" In Germany, the installed capacity of renewable power stations has increased significantly during the last years. Since 2000 wind power has the highest capacity of all renewables although hydroelectric power stations normally have more full load hours per year.
Photovoltaic installations have also grown rapidly during the last years. The total installed capacity of power stations in Germany has risen due to the newly installed renewable power stations whereas the capacity of conventional power station has decreased since beginning of the 1990s.
The renewable share of the total capacity has increase more than six times since beginning of the 1990s and reached double-digit numbers. Since the year 2004 the installed renewable capacity in Germany is higher than the nuclear power capacity. "
Link
The reason they aren't worried is because of the short half life. In 8 days that will drop to a 6 month dose. In another, a 3 month dose. Another, 1.5 month dose. And so on and so forth.
In two months, there will be only a small amount left and by then it will be spread very thinly.
Cesium and to a lesser extent, cobalt, are much more worrying with their longer half lives.
I don't think they're downplaying much. I think the media is overhyping. You'd think the west coast of the US was going to be a Thunderdome-esque radioactive wasteland listening to the 24 hour news networks.
Even China is doing better than we are at renewable power. They are currently the number one investor in renewable energy sources and outstrip the US 2-to-1 in spending.
On a completely unrelated note, I just saw this advert at the bottom of the page:
Public Health Alert: Reishi may help avoid radiation injury
I know adverts are necessary, but can you at least have adverts that aren't scaremongering scams?
Tornado Watch: 3
Severe Thunderstorm Watch: 1
Tornado Warning: 2
Severe Thunderstorm Warning: 5
Significant Weather Advisory: 2
We've been in the bulls eye again so far today, looks like this next storm might be the last for now though.
No, they are definitely downplaying. And that's not just my opinion, or the opinion of a few rabid anti-nuclear wackos; that's what nuclear physicists are saying. The only people who think things are being "overhyped" are nuclear industry types.
I would ask this: if there's truly nothing to fear, why the lack of openness by TEPCO and the Japanese government? Why the constant backing and filling? Why the admissions by TEPCO that they have been less than forthcoming? Why the consistent usage of double-speak and vague or obfuscatory language?
I'll go on record again as stating that I'm not worried at all at this point about Fukushima fallout directly affecting the U.S. I'm far more concerned about the lack of foresight shown by the plant's developers. I'm far more concerned about TEPCO's dismissal of warnings about what could happen should a large tsunami wash over the plant. I'm far more concerned with the short-term and long-term affects of all that radiation belching into the Japanese air and sea.
In short, I'm far more concerned about the fact that, as presently instituted, nuclear energy is not clean, it's not safe, and--worst of all--it's far from adequately regulated.
by The Associated Press
YAMAMOTO, Japan March 27, 2011, 05:05 am ET
The funeral for Chieko Mori's daughter and granddaughter was an affront to Japanese sacred customs — the two were placed in simple wooden coffins that soldiers lowered into a ditch in a vegetable patch as a backhoe poured in earth, burying them alongside scores of other bodies.
Such an unceremonious disposal of the dead would be unthinkable in Japan in normal times. But the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami have left a huge backlog of thousands of bodies in makeshift morgues, leaving local governments no choice but to bury them in hastily dug mass graves.
In small-town Japan, the funeral is an elaborate and highly formalized Buddhist ritual, in which the body is washed, dressed and cremated, the ashes interred at the family tomb.
So this — mass graves, heavy machinery, improvised rites — is almost unbearable, a tragedy that robs both survivors and the dead of closure.
Since the tragedy, Mori has been in a deep shock and doesn't always respond when spoken to. Her husband, son-in-law, and another granddaughter are also dead, and they will be buried in mass graves in upcoming days. Her sister, Tomiko Sato, came from a nearby town to attend the funeral on Saturday, to relieve Mori of the burden.
"We were told at town hall that they didn't have the resources, and if we wanted proper cremations we could drive the bodies to Yamagata ourselves," Sato said, referring to a neighboring prefecture about 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the west — too far to travel with gasoline so scarce.
"But this is a temporary grave, and the government said they would cremate the bodies within two years, so we can move them to the family grave."
Saturday's mass burial was the first in Yamamoto, a town of 16,700 with about 1,000 dead or missing. Eleven uniform plywood caskets were buried, with 400 more planned in the coming days. A Buddhist priest apologized for the conditions before chanting traditional hymns, and relatives pried off the lids to caress the dead, placing garbage bags full of their belongings inside and later sobbing as white-gloved troops hoisted the coffins away.
For Sato, just finding the bodies was an achievement — she borrowed gas for her car and circled local evacuee centers for two weeks to track down the whole family, who grew strawberries in a coastal area where many houses are completely destroyed. The last to be found was Honoka, a granddaughter in junior high school, whose body was damaged beyond recognition.
"She wasn't wearing her school uniform, but her teacher contacted her boyfriend, who told us about a necklace and a bracelet he had given her. She was wearing both," she said.
The last time the whole family got together was in early December, for take-out sushi at the Mori family's now destroyed home.
The setting at Yamamoto was in stark contrast to a burial earlier in the day at Higashimatsushima, a town about 40 miles (70 kilometers) north up the coast. Soldiers there had dug pits in a muddy field at a recycling center, and a morning ceremony took place in freezing rain, against a backdrop of cubes of crushed plastic bottles and stacks of fluorescent light tubes.
Many relatives were bused in from evacuee centers and arrived in sweat pants and tennis shoes. Soldiers lowered coffins into the long ditches, and an official with a bullhorn called out the names of the dead, apologizing when he mispronounced one. Mourners in white masks sobbed from beneath their umbrellas.
"We lost my wife's father in the tsunami. He wasn't my grandfather, but we were very close, and I called him `gramps.' He was a very kind man — he didn't like to drink but would always buy me a nice bottle of sake," said Koji Ushigome.
His father-in-law, Yuichi Takahashi, died in the tsunami at age 81, and was lowered into the ground in a white wooden coffin, with the number `670' written on the side in black magic marker. Officials were carefully noting the location of the coffins so the remains can one day be exhumed and receive a proper burial.
Officials stressed the temporary nature of the burials, and said they had little choice given the vast number of bodies. The official death toll from the quake and tsunami has passed 10,100, with more than 17,000 listed as missing
"The bodies are fairly decomposed now. These are not funerals, just short-term interments," said town official Toshiaki Aizawa.
Behind him, three cars full of mourners pulled up in the parking lot for the next set of bodies.
Not for long.
They're heavily investing in nuclear energy.
Nuclear Power in China
(Updated 10 March 2011)
Mainland China has 13 nuclear power reactors in operation, more than 25 under construction, and more about to start construction soon.
Additional reactors are planned, including some of the world's most advanced, to give more than a ten-fold increase in nuclear capacity to at least 80 GWe by 2020, 200 GWe by 2030, and 400 GWe by 2050.
China is rapidly becoming self-sufficient in reactor design and construction, as well as other aspects of the fuel cycle.
Most of mainland China's electricity is produced from fossil fuels (80% from coal, 2% from oil, 1% from gas in 2006) and hydropower (15%). Two large hydro projects are recent additions: Three Gorges of 18.2 GWe and Yellow River of 15.8 GWe. Rapid growth in demand has given rise to power shortages, and the reliance on fossil fuels has led to much air pollution. The economic loss due to pollution is put by the World Bank at almost 6% of GDP.1
world-nuclar.org
K5 and I8 coming in now south of me.
China Daily
More experienced nuclear workers necessary
By Xie Yu (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-09 07:53
BEIJING: A shortage of experienced technicians is posing a grave challenge to China's nuclear safety as the country is rapidly expanding nuclear power plants, a former nuclear safety administrator has said.
"Experienced senior technicians currently comprise less than one-third of operating staff, while the rest of the positions are filled by new hands," said Wang Yuqing, former director of the National Nuclear Safety Administration.
Stressing that there has been a drop in the proportion of experienced technicians across all operating staff at nuclear plants, he attributed the disparity in the proportion of experienced technicians to operating staff to the rapid growth in the nuclear power industry.
Wang, a member of the CPPCC national committee, said nuclear power is a unique industry, in which specialized skills and experience are required for an aptitude in safety that cannot be acquired from text books alone.
For example, a nuclear power plant used to have 500 to 600 operating staff, with 80 percent of them having four to five years of experience. Now, however, five to six new units are started at one time, which means the 80 percent of experienced staff are spread across the new units, he said.
In order to meet the energy shortage and combat climate change, China has actively expanded its nuclear industry in recent years.
Ye Qizhen, deputy director of the science and technology committee of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), said China's installed capacity of nuclear power is expected to reach 70 million kW by 2020, 200 million kW by 2030 and 400 million kW by 2050.
"It means nuclear power will account for 7 percent of China's overall power capacity in 2020, 15 percent in 2030 and 22 percent in 2050," Ye added.
China has approved the construction of 28 more units capable of producing nuclear power, of which 24 are under construction, and another 11 units are already in operation.
In addition to the lack of experienced operators, there is also a shortage of supervisors, according to Wang.
There are currently about 300 official supervisors for nuclear power safety in China. In other countries, such as the US, France, and Japan, there are usually 35 to 40 people who supervise a single unit.
"We already have 11 units under operation, which need about 400 people. For those under construction, we need even more," he said.
Along with skilled manpower shortages, Wang highlighted the need for security controls at nuclear plants.
"The general situation for nuclear security is good," he said, adding that the central government has been giving greater attention to the issue.
As the industry continues to expand at a rapid rate, he called for corporate culture and the awareness of nuclear safety issues to remain in tandem with these developments.
Wang also noted that since China is using more equipment designed and produced in China, rather than importing it from abroad, it is "of the utmost importance to guarantee the quality of this equipment to minimize any potential risks".
According to statistics from the National Energy Administration, China's nuclear power plants experienced 13 operating incidents in the first nine months of 2008, but they had no effect on nuclear safety.
In September 2010, the China Daily reported that China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) alone plans to invest CNY 800 billion ($120 billion) into nuclear energy projects by 2020. Total investment in nuclear power plants, in which CNNC will hold controlling stakes, will reach CNY 500 billion ($75 billion) by 2015, resulting in 40 GWe on line, according to CNNC. In order to fund the company's expansion target, CNNC plans to list its subsidiary, CNNC Nuclear Power Co Ltd in 2011, to attract strategic investors.
...In January 2011 a report from the State Council Research Office (SCRO), which makes independent policy recommendations to the State Council on strategic matters, was published. While approving the enormous progress made on many fronts, it cautioned concerning provincial and corporate enthusiasm for new nuclear power plants and said that the 2020 target should be restricted to 70 GWe of new plant actually operating so as to avoid placing undue demand on quality control issues in the supply chain.
Another 30 GWe could be under construction....
Anyway, I don't usually read long posts on this site...To find out more just check out this Link
The story was last updated March 10th.
Ya'll are in the "sweet" spot along the boundary. Starting to see some signs of rotation (on SRV loops) in the cells to your SE-to the N of I-16. One in particular just ENE of Dublin.
I see. You're specifically referring to the effects on Japan. I thought you were talking about the nonsense here. My bad.
In the US, nuclear power is HEAVILY regulated to the point where hardly anyone is willing to build a nuclear plant (let alone nuclear research) due to the expense. It's a government controlled entity. Same with France and multiple other countries.
Japan is a bit different. TEPCO is a company that has been reprimanded on several occasions for not adhering to standards. Cheaper that way. And since they weren't any real penalties they didn't care much. And why spend millions on safety improvements on plants when Nothing Bad Will Happen(tm). Why upgrade plants to safer designs when it's cheaper to just leave things the way they are?
Nuclear power is safe AND clean. Even wind power causes more deaths per year. But you can't be half-a$$ about it, and you certainly can't leave it in the hands of for-profit corporations willing to cut corners and ignore warnings to keep their bottom line intact.
TEPCO thought they could do that. They were wrong. It's quite likely that after this the Japanese government will step in with a much heavier hand, and TEPCO will take a pretty significant hit. They may even be removed from the chain entirely (they should be).
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