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INES, NAMS and the disturbances	Radioactive low radiation?!
Uranium transports through Europe	The ABC deployment concept

INES and the disturbances in nuclear facilities

1970 – 1979

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INES, Who the f... is INES?

The International Scale of Nuclear and Radiological Events (INES) is a tool to educate the public about the safety implications of nuclear and radiological events, but INES has a problem...

We are always looking for up-to-date information. Anyone who can help, please send a message to:
nuclear-world@reaktorpleite.de

2019-2010 | 2009-2000 | 1999-1990 | 1989-1980 | 1979-1970 | 1969-1960 | 1959-1950 | 1949-1940 | Before

1979

1979 (INES Class.?) NPP Doel, BEL

Wikipedia de

The breakage of a steam generator heating pipe resulted in a slight release of radioactivity into the environment. The control of this incident requires the correct handling of complicated procedures by the personnel. The four nuclear power plants in Doel are only 8 km from Antwerp (source: NEA-OECD)

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Doel (Belgium)

September 11, 1979 (INES 4 | NAMS 3,4) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

When radioactive wastewater was transferred to building B242, 130 TBq Plutonium released.
(Cost approx. US$87 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Wikipedia de

Sellafield (formerly Windscale)

The complex became known due to a catastrophic fire in 1957 and frequent nuclear accidents and was therefore renamed Sellafield. Until the mid-1980s, large quantities of nuclear waste generated during daily operations were discharged into the Irish Sea in liquid form via a pipeline...

Wikipedia en

Sellafield # Incidents

Radiological releases

Between 1950 and 2000, there were 21 serious incidents or accidents involving off-site radiological releases that warranted classification on the International Nuclear Event Scale, one at Level 5, five at Level 4 and fifteen at Level 3. In addition, there were Intentional releases of plutonium and irradiated uranium oxide particles into the atmosphere over long periods of time known in the 1950s and 1960s...

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Sellafield (formerly_Windscale), United Kingdom

There are comparable nuclear factories all over the world:

Uranium enrichment and reprocessing - facilities and sites

During reprocessing, the inventory of spent fuel elements can be separated from one another in a complex chemical process (PUREX). Separated uranium and plutonium can then be reused. As far as the theory...

July 16, 1979 (INES 3 NAMS 1,9) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

A fire in a remote gutting cave in building B30 resulted in 3,7 TBq Radioactivity released.
(Cost approx. US$30 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Wikipedia de

Sellafield (formerly Windscale)

Wikipedia en

Sellafield # Incidents

Radiological releases

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Sellafield (formerly_Windscale), United Kingdom

There are comparable nuclear factories all over the world:

Uranium enrichment and reprocessing - facilities and sites

Youtube

Uranium economy: Facilities for processing uranium

All uranium and plutonium factories produce radioactive nuclear waste: Uranium processing, enrichment and reprocessing plants, whether in Hanford, La Hague, Sellafield, Mayak, Tokaimura or wherever in the world, all have the same problem: with every processing step More and more extremely toxic and highly radioactive waste is being produced...

March 28, 1979 (INES 5 | NAMS 7,9) NPP Three Mile Island, USA

There were about 3,7 million TBq Radioactivity released. Equipment failure and operating errors led to a loss of coolant and a partial core meltdown in Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant.
(Cost approx. US$1091 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Harrisburg/Three_Mile_Island_(USA)

Three Mile Island 2 meltdown

What happened on March 28, 1979 in reactor 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is an example of how easily nuclear accidents can occur due to a combination of small technical defects and human error, without the need for a natural disaster is...

The nuclear chain

Three Mile Island, USA

[...] To this day, effective lobbying by the nuclear industry has prevented meaningful scientific analysis of the consequences for the environment and health.

[...] More than two million people lived within an 80 km radius at that time. On March 28, 1979, the worst civil nuclear energy disaster to date occurred there. An emergency valve opened to relieve pressure, accidentally releasing large amounts of coolant. This led to critical overheating of the reactor core and the infamous meltdown. The reactor's protective shell withstood the enormous pressure, but for a few days large amounts of radioactive particles escaped into the atmosphere and contaminated the environment in the form of radioactive fallout...

Wikipedia de

Reactor accident_im_nuclear power plant_Three_Mile_Island

Reactor accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant

The reactor accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) in the USA on March 28, 1979 was a serious accident (INES level 5) in which a partial core meltdown occurred in reactor unit 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant About a third of the reactor core was fragmented or melted...

Venting to the environment

... by venting into the atmosphere. It is estimated that radioactive gas (in the form of krypton-85; 10,75 year half-life) with an activity of about 1,665 × 10 was released during the incident¹⁵ Bq...

1978

December 31, 1978 (INES 4) NPP Beloyarsk, USSR

Wikipedia de

Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant#Incidents Unit 2

On 30/31 In December 1978 the temperature in the area fell to −50 °C. On the following New Year's Eve, the low temperatures caused a serious incident that almost turned into a catastrophe. The roof of the turbine hall collapsed due to material fatigue. Parts fell on the generator and a short circuit occurred, which caused a fire in the turbine hall. Measuring lines to the reactor were partially destroyed. Burning oil made it difficult for firefighters to bring the fire under control. In order to prevent a catastrophe, the reactor had to be shut down. Thick smoke entered the control room, so that the operating staff had to leave the control room temporarily and could only re-enter it for a short time in order to carry out some switching operations. In the first few hours, fear of the consequences, efforts were made to evacuate the nearby workers' town of Zarechny. Attempts have already been made to organize many buses and trains for the evacuation in the Sverdlovsk Oblast.

Eight people were severely radioactive, almost two dozen were temporarily unconscious from the smoke gas, but after a few hours the reactors were under control again...

Wikipedia en

Nuclear power accidents by country#Russia

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Beloyarsk (Russia)

From 1964 to 1979 there was a series of events in Beloyarsk-1 in which fuel channels were destroyed and workers were exposed to increased levels of radiation. In 1977, 50% of the fuel assemblies at Beloyarsk-2 melted down; the staff were exposed to high levels of radioactivity. In a fire that broke out on December 31, 1978 due to a falling cover plate, eight people suffered an increased radiation dose.

Various incidents during breeder operation were also reported in the 1990s ...

June 18, 1978 (INES Class.?) NPP Brunsbuettel, Germany

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Brunsbuettel_(Schleswig-Holstein)

On June 18, 1978, two tons of radioactive vapor escaped to the outside due to a leak in the live steam system. The incident lasted more than two hours. The security team had tampered with the automatic emergency shutdown in order to save the operator millions in losses. Vattenfall covered up the incident for days until an anonymous caller informed the public. The plant was shut down for more than two years after the incident...

Wikipedia de

Brunsbüttel#Malfunctions

Incidents and reportable events

As of March 31, 2016, there have been 447 reportable events since commissioning, two of which involved increased radioactivity emissions...

May 13, 1978 (INES Class.?) NPP AVR Jülich, GER

Wikipedia de

Pebble bed reactor AVR (Jülich)

A water intrusion accident in the Jülich experimental reactor, which was only assigned to the then lowest category C, led to high levels of contamination of the cooling circuit and the soil and groundwater under the reactor with strontium-90 and tritium. Critics of the pebble bed reactor concept assume that the classification of this event, which from today's perspective is far too favorable as being insignificant in terms of safety, served to preserve the development chances of pebble bed reactors...

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Jülich (North Rhine-Westphalia)

On May 13, 1978, a serious incident occurred. Due to a leak in a heat exchanger, there was an influx of water into the reactor. This had an impact on the demolition of the reactor, as it still contained "197 destroyed or atomized fuel elements" which were then encased in concrete. During the incident, large amounts of strontium-90 and tritium are said to have escaped and entered the groundwater. The reactor continued to operate at excessive temperatures...

1977

September 24, 1977 (INES 3) NPP Davis Besse, USA

A pressure relief valve opened in the primary circuit and steam escaped.
(Cost approx. US$26,8 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

Wikipedia de

Davis Besse Nuclear Power Plant#Incidents

On September 24, 1977, a pressure relief valve in the primary circuit opened, causing steam to escape. The control room staff were unable to bring the situation under control for a long time. There was a risk that the severe loss of coolant could have exposed the core of the reactor and overheated it. Before this happened, the valve could be closed again. A few years later, the accident was assigned Category 3 on the International Nuclear Event Rating Scale...

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Davis Besse (USA)

Of the three originally planned units, each with 906 MW net output, which the Toledo Edison Company had ordered from Babcock & Wilcox in 1968 and 1973, only Davis-Besse-1 was realized; the other two units were rejected in 1980...

June 10, 1977 (INES Class.?) NPP Millstone, USA

A hydrogen explosion damaged three buildings and forced the shutdown of the Millstone-1 reactor.
(Cost approx. US$17 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Millstone

... On June 10, 1977, a hydrogen explosion occurred at Millstone-1; the reactor was shut down...

Wikipedia de

The Wikipedia article contains no reference to the hydrogen explosion of June 10, 1977.

Millstone Nuclear Power Plant

Wikipedia en

List of nuclear power accidents by country

Millstone is the only nuclear power plant in the US state of Connecticut. It is situated on, and named after, a former quarry on the Atlantic Ocean's Niantic Bay in the City of Waterford. It consists of three reactors, one decommissioned boiling water reactor and two active pressurized water reactor units...

Nuclear power accidents by country#United_States

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February 22, 1977 (INES 4) NPP Jaslovské Bohunice, SVK

A mechanical failure in the fuel loading of the KS 150 reactor caused severe corrosion and
released radioactivity in the plant area, necessitating a complete shutdown.
(Cost approx. US$1965 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

Wikipedia de

Bohunice nuclear power plant

On February 22, 1977, the system was seriously damaged while being refilled with fuel rods: During the accident, forgotten residues of the desiccant silica gel in the packaging led to blockages in a fuel element, so that the coolant could not flow through properly and local overheating occurred. The pressure pipe and surrounding technological channels were damaged. Heavy water entered the gas cooling circuit. Due to the rapid rise in temperature, the coating of the fuel rods in the active zone was damaged. When this barrier was eliminated, the primary area was contaminated and then parts of the secondary area were contaminated due to leaks in the steam generators. It was already clear in the first half of 1978 that operations would not be resumed for economic and technical reasons. The federal government decided in 1979 not to restart operations and to shut down the reactor block...

AtomkraftwerkePlag

Bohunice (Slovakia)

...Even more dangerous was a partial core meltdown on February 22, 1977, which was rated as an INES level 4 accident. The cause of the accident was that "the packaging and moisture absorption material silica gel had not been removed from a fuel assembly and then blocked the cooling channel." The water vapor released radioactive radiation into the surrounding area. This was just the latest in a long series of incidents at this reactor. According to a statement by the German federal government in 1994, "a large part of the plant and the reactor building was contaminated" due to the accidents. The reactor was shut down forever on the day of the big accident in 1977...

January 13, 1977 (INES Class.?) NPP Gundremmingen, GER

Due to the unclear situation (?), no INES level was assigned to this incident!

'Gar Nothing' provides detailed information

January 13, 1977 - The entire reactor of the Gundremmingen A nuclear power plant is destroyed in an accident. The weather is damp and cold. Freezing rain and hoarfrost caused the insulators on two high-voltage lines to break. Short circuits occur. An automatic quick shutdown is then initiated.

However, several parts of the system are not functioning properly. Due to incorrect control, too much water is forced into the reactor for emergency cooling.

According to various sources, between 200 m³ and 400 m³ of radioactive cooling water (approx. 280 degrees Celsius) enter the reactor building through pressure relief valves.

After about ten minutes the water is about three meters high and the temperature has risen to around 80 degrees Celsius. It should be taken into account here that this is cooling water that had recently flown around fuel rods with porous casings in the containment. Therefore, this water contains the entire range of radioactive isotopes that were created there during operation...

Wikipedia de

Nuclear power plant Gundremmingen

Initially it was said that the reactor would be able to go back into operation in a few weeks. After the incident, the operators expected that Unit A would be put back into operation quickly...

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Gundremmingen A (Bavaria)

... But then the TÜV discovered cracks in the pipes of the cooling circuit and demanded that parts of the reactor be replaced. This was too expensive for the companies, which is why they decided in 1980 to shut down Gundremmingen A forever...

January 1, 1977 (INES 5) NPP Beloyarsk, USSR

A partial core meltdown occurred in Unit 2 and repairs took more than a year...
(Cost approx. US$3500 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Wikipedia de

Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant#Incidents Unit 2

In Unit 1977, in 2, half of the fuel assemblies in the active zone were destroyed...

List of accidents in nuclear facilities #1970s

In an accident, 50% of the fuel passages of Unit 2 of the Beloyarsk NPP, a pressure tube reactor similar to the RBMK, melted. The repair took about a year. The staff was exposed to high levels of radiation.

Wikipedia en

Nuclear power accidents by country#Russia

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Beloyarsk (Russia)

From 1964 to 1979 there was a series of events in which fuel ducts at Beloyarsk-1 were destroyed and workers were exposed to increased radiation. In 1977, 50% of the fuel in Beloyarsk-2 melted; the personnel were exposed to high levels of radioactivity. The repair work took about a year. The incident was classified as a serious INES level 5 accident. In a fire that broke out due to a falling cover plate on December 31, 1978, eight people suffered an increased dose of radiation...

Various incidents during breeder operation were also reported in the 1990s ...

1976

January 5, 1976 (INES 3) NPP Jaslovské Bohunice, CS, SVK

Two workers suffocated due to carbon dioxide escaping from the reactor cooling system of a KS 150 in the Bohunice nuclear power plant.
(Costs ?)

Nuclear Power Accidents

Wikipedia de

Bohunice nuclear power plant

On January 5, 1976, radioactively contaminated coolant leaked into the reactor hall. The fuel elements were usually changed under full operation. After replacing a fuel element, it became detached in the pressure tube, shot up out of the reactor into the reactor hall and smashed on the crane standing above the reactor. The pressurized carbon dioxide used as coolant flowed through the open channel into the reactor space. Although the operating team managed to seal the open channel with the loading crane, two employees could not save themselves in time and suffocated.

[...] the incident in 1976 is listed as a serious incident (INES 3).

AtomkraftwerkePlag

Czechia - Slovakia - Bohunice

In the former Czechoslovakia, energy policy since the 1950s has envisaged the use and expansion of nuclear power. The first gas-cooled reactor, which was put into operation in Jaslovské Bohunice (today's Slovakia) in 1972, failed in 1976 due to two serious accidents. As a result, Soviet light water reactor types were adopted, and Czech industry became involved as a supplier in the production of most reactor components in Eastern Europe.

In today's Czech Republic, six reactors provide electricity: two in Temelín near České Budějovice and four in Dukovany near Brno...

1975

December 7, 1975 (INES 3) NPP Greifswald, GDR

An electrical fault caused a fire in the main sump, destroying control lines and 5 main coolant pumps.
(Cost approx. US$519 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Greifswald/Lubmin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania)

"It was like a miracle," said a safety engineer employed at the time, that "large parts of northern Germany, Denmark and Sweden" were not contaminated with radioactivity." A cable network caught fire due to an operating error. All protection systems failed: the emergency power supply, the emergency cooling system and the display devices in the control room. 11 pumps were no longer running, and it was only because the twelfth pump happened to be connected to the power supply of the functioning reactor 2 that there was enough cooling water available and a core meltdown was avoided. This near-meltdown was consistently kept secret by the GDR leadership until the fall of the Wall.

In "tagesschau.de" the date was given as December 7, 1975 and damages amounting to 519 million US dollars...

Wikipedia de

Greifswald nuclear power plant

When an electrician at the Greifswald nuclear power plant wanted to show an apprentice how to bridge electrical circuits, he triggered a short circuit on the primary side of the Unit 1 transformer. The resulting arc caused a cable fire to break out. The fire in the main cable duct destroyed the power supply and control lines of 5 main coolant pumps (6 are operational for one block). A meltdown could have threatened because reactor 1 could no longer be properly cooled. However, the fire was quickly brought under control by the company fire brigade and the power supply to the pumps was provisionally restored.

The case was only made public after the fall of communism in 1989...

Wikipedia en

Nuclear power accidents by country#Germany'

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November 30, 1975 (INES 5) NPP Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad, USSR

There was a loss of coolant in a fuel channel of Unit 1, which led to the decomposition of a fuel element
fuel element and resulted in a significant radiation release that lasted for a month.
(release approx. 55.500 TBq, cost approx. 99,5 million US$)

Nuclear Power Accidents

Wikipedia de

Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant

In 1975 there was a partial destruction of the reactor core in Unit 1 of the Leningrad NPP. The reactor was shut down. The next day, the core was cleaned by pumping an emergency reserve of nitrogen through it and blowing it down the exhaust stack. This resulted in approx. 1,5 Megacurie (55 PBq) of radioactive substances released into the environment.

Wikipedia en

Nuclear power accidents by country#Russia

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Leningrad nuclear power plant (Russia)

In 1975 the core of the reactor was partially destroyed, resulting in 1,5 million. Curie radioactive substances released into the environment...

November 19, 1975 (INES Class.?) NPP Gundremmingen, GER

2 workers died. Due to the "unclear situation", no INES level was assigned to this incident!

Wikipedia de

Nuclear power plant Gundremmingen

In November 1975 there was an accident in which people died in a nuclear power plant for the first time in the Federal Republic of Germany (Spiegel). Two locksmiths, Otto Huber, 34, and Josef Ziegelmüller, 46, had removed the cover of a valve on the primary water purification circuit of Block A on November 19, 1975 at 10:42 a.m. in order to replace a faulty stuffing box. The reactor was previously shut down and depressurized around six o'clock. The workers had isolated the line containing the defective valve from the system with two shut-off valves upstream and downstream. The valve cover popped off unexpectedly when loosened. Unnoticed, there was pressurized water in this part of the pipe with a pressure of 65 bar and approx. 265 °C, which partially evaporated when the cover broke off and suddenly scalded the two workers. While Huber died immediately, Ziegelmüller tried to run to the passenger lock, but also collapsed in pain shortly beforehand. A short time later, Ziegelmüller was taken by helicopter to a special burn clinic in Ludwigshafen and died one day later...

AtomkraftwerkePlag

Gundremmingen A (Bavaria)

In 1975, two master locksmiths died during a repair due to severe scalding from escaping radioactive steam...

'Gar Nix' provides further information

1974

May 18, 1974 - India's first atomic bomb test Pokhran, IND

Wikipedia de

Nuclear Energy in India#Military_Use

This "Smiling Buddha" atomic bomb test had a yield of about 8 kilotons of TNT equivalent and was detonated on May 18, 1974 at a depth of 107 m at the army compound near Pokhran (Rajasthan) in the Thar desert.

Operation Smiling Buddha

List of nuclear weapons tests

Atomwaffen A-Z

nuclear weapons states/india.html

February 6, 1974 (INES 4-5) Akw Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad, USSR

Wikipedia de

Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant#Incidents and Dangers

Incidents and dangers

The first accident occurred on February 6, 1974, in the first year of operation. In unit 1, the heat exchanger broke due to boiling water. Radioactive water from the primary circuit was released into the environment along with highly radioactive filter sludge. Three people died as a result of burns caused by boiling water. (INES: 4–5)...

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Leningrad (Russia)

Nuclear power plant near Saint Petersburg

The Leningrad nuclear power plant, also known as Sosnovy Bor, is one of the most fault-prone plants in Russia. It is only about 5 km from Sosnovy Bor and 70 km from the megacity of St. Petersburg...

1974: Serious accidents of INES level 4-5

Shortly after commissioning, two serious accidents occurred at the reactor, both of which were classified as INES levels 4-5 (accident/serious accident).

After a gas container that was supposed to retain radioactive gases was destroyed on January 7, 1974, a serious accident occurred shortly afterwards. On February 6, 1974, the reactor's intermediate circuit broke because it contained unintentionally boiling water. Three employees died, highly radioactive water and radioactive sludge from filter powder were released into the environment...

1973

September 26, 1973 (INES 4 | NAMS 2) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

It was 5,4 TBq Radioactivity released. An exothermic reaction between accumulated zirconium and a solvent occurred in a container at the processing plant, exposing 35 workers to increased levels of radiation.
(Cost approx. US$990 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Wikipedia de

Sellafield (formerly Windscale)

The complex was made famous by a catastrophic fire in 1957 and by frequent nuclear incidents, which is one of the reasons why it was renamed Sellafield. Up until the mid-1980s, large quantities of the nuclear waste generated in day-to-day operations were discharged in liquid form via a pipeline into the Irish Sea.

Wikipedia en

Sellafield # Incidents

Radiological releases

Between 1950 and 2000 there were 21 serious off-site incidents or accidents involving radiological releases that warranted classification on the International Nuclear Event Scale, one at Level 5, five at Level 4 and fifteen at Level 3. In addition, there were in intentional releases of plutonium and irradiated uranium oxide particles into the atmosphere known for extended periods in the 1950s and 1960s...

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Sellafield (formerly_Windscale), United Kingdom

There are comparable nuclear factories all over the world:

Uranium enrichment and reprocessing - facilities and sites

Youtube

Uranium economy: Facilities for processing uranium

Reprocessing plants turn a few tons of nuclear waste into many tons of nuclear waste

1972

December 6, 1972 (INES 3 | NAMS 1,6) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

The processing of fuel elements that had been stored for too short a time resulted in a high iodine content and set 2,2 TBq Radioactivity free.
(Cost approx. US$98 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Wikipedia de

Sellafield (formerly Windscale)

Wikipedia en

Sellafield # Incidents

Radiological releases

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Sellafield (formerly_Windscale), United Kingdom

There are comparable nuclear factories all over the world:

Uranium enrichment and reprocessing - facilities and sites

1972 (INES Class.?) NPP Santa Maria de Garoña, ESP

Wikipedia de

Nuclear Power Plant_Santa_María_de_Garoña

In the early years of its operation, this boiling water reactor regularly recorded significant excesses of the emission limit values that were still less restrictive at the time (source: IAEA)

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Santa_Maria_de_Garona_(Spain)

July 27, 1972 (INES Class.?) NPP Surry, VA, USA

Two killed when a steam pipe ruptured.
(Cost approx. US$1,2 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Wikipedia en

Nuclear Power Plant in Surry County in southeastern Virginia...

- On July 27, 1972, two workers were fatally burned after routine valve adjustment resulted in steam escaping through a gap in a vent line.

- On May 8, 1979, FBI agents examined a white crystalline substance that had been poured into 62 fresh fuel assemblies stored at the plant, a day after plant officials made the discovery...

- On December 9, 1986, eight workers were injured in a steam explosion in the non-nuclear part of Unit 2. Four of them later died.

- On April 16, 2011, a tornado struck the power plant's electrical switchgear, disrupting the primary power supply to the power plant's cooling pumps...

- On August 23, 2011, an earthquake in central Virginia automatically shut down Dominion's North Anna reactors 11 miles from the epicenter...

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Surry_(USA)

On November 6, 2015, Dominium applied to the NRC for a lifetime extension to 1 years for Surry-2 and -80 to 2052 and 2053. Lifetimes of 80 years are currently the subject of controversy in the USA; Various nuclear experts doubt that safe operation can be guaranteed with such runtimes...

1971

March 19, 1971 (INES 3 | NAMS 2) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

Sparks from an arc ignited radioactive waste in a basement, causing 4,8 TBq Radioactivity was released.
(Cost approx. US$1330 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

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Wikipedia de

Sellafield (formerly Windscale)

Wikipedia en

Sellafield # Incidents

Radiological releases

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AtomkraftwerkePlag

Sellafield (formerly_Windscale), United Kingdom

There are comparable nuclear factories all over the world:

Uranium enrichment and reprocessing - facilities and sites

1970

November 29, 1970 (INES 3 NAMS 2,5) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

There was a release of approx. 230 through the chimney of building B1,6 TBq Plutonium.
(Cost approx. US$100 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

This incident as well as several other releases of radioactivity are in Wikipedia no longer to be found.

Wikipedia de

Sellafield (formerly Windscale)

Wikipedia en

Sellafield # Incidents

Radiological releases

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Sellafield (formerly_Windscale), United Kingdom

According to the operator Sellafield Ltd., since April 2016 a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on behalf of the British government, reprocessing work at Sellafield will be completed in 2020. A transformation program has been initiated which aims to decontaminate Sellafield, reduce the hazard situation and reduce costs.

According to an October 2018 report, the decommissioning of Sellafield is scheduled to be completed by 2120. Estimated to cost £121bn...

There are comparable nuclear factories all over the world:

Uranium enrichment and reprocessing - facilities and sites

June 8, 1970 (INES 4 NAMS 3,6) Nuclear factory LLNL, Livermore, USA

Approximately 222 people were killed in this accident TBq released, the wind blew the cloud mainly in a southeasterly direction. Radiation levels were measured 200 miles away.
(Cost approx. US$60,1 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

Watching out for the ecology of Livermore

Livermore Eco Watchdogs (This domain will no longer be available in 2023.)

Historical Doses To The Public from Routine and Accidental Releases of Tritium

Estimates from 1953 to 2005 were based on Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 29.300 TBq Tritium released into the atmosphere...

Tritium and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Two of the three largest tritium accidents I have ever seen documented occurred here at the Livermore Lab headquarters. In 1965 and 1970, the Livermore Lab released approximately 650.000 Curies (23.700 TBq) Tritium released into the air from the chimneys of the tritium plant (Building 331). Note: One curie corresponds to 37 billion radioactive decay processes per second, in becquerels 37 GBq.

The largest release in LLNL history occurred on January 20, 1965 and was 259 TBq.

After the 1970 accident, Livermore Labs scientists found elevated levels of tritium, which they linked to the 1970 accident, as far south as Fresno, about 200 miles southeast.

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Unfortunately there is in German Wikipedia no information on these incidents.

Wikipedia de

Lawrence_Livermore_National_Laboratory

Wikipedia en

In the English Wikipedia unfortunately there is also just “court reporting”.

/Lawrence_Livermore_National_Laboratory#Public_protests

Public protests

The Livermore Action Group organized numerous mass protests against the production of nuclear weapons by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 1981 to 1984...
On June 22, 1982, more than 1.300 anti-nuclear weapons activists were arrested during a non-violent demonstration. More recently, there have been annual protests against nuclear weapons research in Lawrence Livermore. In August 2003, 1.000 people protested against "new generation nuclear warheads" at Livermore Labs. 2007 people were arrested during the 64 protests. In March 2008, more than 80 people were arrested while protesting outside the gates.

On July 27, 2021, the Society of Professionals, Scientists, and Engineers - University of Professional & Technical Employees Local 11, CWA Local 9119 went on a three-day strike over unfair labor practices.

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April 11-12, 1970 (Broken Arrow) Submarine K-8 sunk in Bay of Biscay, USSR

The Soviet nuclear submarine K-8 sank in the Bay of Biscay on the night of April 11th to 12th, 1970, killing 52 sailors. Since then, 2 nuclear reactors and around 20 nuclear torpedoes have been lying at a depth of 4300 m...
(Costs ?)

Nuclear Power Accidents

Wikipedia de

K-8 (submarine)

The K-8 was a Cold War-era nuclear submarine of the Soviet Navy. It was the second nuclear submarine that the Soviet Union had commissioned to build under the name Project 627A. Its sinking in 1970 was the Soviet nuclear navy's first loss.

[...] Sinking in 1970

On April 8, 1970, the 51st day of this mission, the boat was still on the return journey in the Bay of Biscay. It was at a depth of 120 meters and traveling at 10 knots when cable fires occurred almost simultaneously at the sonar station in Department 3 and a control station in Department 7, presumably due to short circuits. The commander had K-8 show up immediately. In Department 3, the crew was able to quickly extinguish the fire, but had to leave the department because of the toxic fumes released during the fire. In Department 7, the fire was now also fueled by the lubricating oils used there, so it could not be extinguished and the sailors also had to evacuate the department. After the two nuclear reactors were switched off, it took another 40 minutes before the fire in Department 7 was extinguished by the deprivation of oxygen as a result of the isolation.

[...] At around 22:30 p.m. on April 11, the situation became critical and more sailors were taken to a rescue ship. All attempts to tow the boat failed due to the heavy seas. 22 remaining crew members, led by the captain, tried to save the boat. A short time later, a single red flare was visible, then K-8 disappeared into the darkness from the rescue ship's radar screens. Two severe tremors were felt on the rescue ship, possibly the result of decompression explosions.

A few hours later after sunrise, the supposed site of the sinking was searched and the body of an officer was recovered from the sea. The commander's body was also sighted, but it sank before it could be brought on board. 30 K-8 sailors died as a result of the fires, mostly from carbon monoxide intoxication; The 22-man ship security group around the commander died when the boat sank.
The commander, Captain 2nd Rank Bessonov, was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the killed crew members and survivors were also awarded medals. The wreck of K-8 lies at a depth of around 4500 meters...

List of U-boat accidents since 1945

The list of submarine accidents since 1945 documents submarines that were lost or suffered serious damage due to accidents or combat operations since the end of the Second World War (Japan's surrender on September 2, 1945). Of the ships lost, at least nine were nuclear-powered, some armed with nuclear missiles or torpedoes. As far as is known, accidents with radioactive contamination of the environment are also documented...

[...] April 8 - K-8 - Project 627 - Nuclear submarine. Sunk in the Bay of Biscay after a fire broke out on board and an unsuccessful attempt to tow. Four nuclear torpedoes recovered, around 20 more in the wreck or on the seabed at a depth of around 4300 m. Sinking position around 490 km northwest of Spain. A hull crew of 52 sailors who remained on board died in the sinking. 73 survivors were rescued by the recovery ship.

March 10, 1970 (INES 3 | NAMS 2) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

Release of about 18 TBq Plutonium down the chimney of building B230.
(Cost approx. US$150 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents

This incident as well as several other releases of radioactivity are in Wikipedia no longer to be found.

Wikipedia de

Sellafield (formerly Windscale)

Wikipedia en

Sellafield # Incidents

Radiological releases

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AtomkraftwerkePlag

Sellafield (formerly_Windscale), United Kingdom

There are comparable nuclear factories all over the world:

Uranium enrichment and reprocessing - facilities and sites

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