I have had a lot to say about problems in the Japanese nuclear industry in previous blog posts. Major players in the industry have been shown to be corrupt as have government agencies that should be regulating the industry. TEPCO knew about the problems that caused the Fukushima disaster and could have done something about them before the tsunami. Other problems have been reported with reactor designs and manufacture of reactor components.
Recently, I posted a blog about problems in the South Korea nuclear industry which a government study termed an “entrenched chain of corruption.” Substandard parts were being fraudulently certified as meeting standards and had been installed in fourteen out of twenty three reactors operating in South Korea. Both Japan and South Korea have been investing heavily in the export of nuclear technology to help stimulate their economies.
Another country that is aggressively pushing the export of nuclear technology to other countries is Russia. Rosatom Nuclear Energy State Corporation is a state corporation that controls the nuclear weapons industry, nuclear research facilities, radiation safety agencies and the use of nuclear energy for commercial purposes such as the generation of electricity. As in many other countries, Rosatom faces the same conflict of interest in both regulating the nuclear industry and promoting the nuclear industry. There is no significant oversight of Rosatom activities.
There are watchdog groups in Russia that are demanding official investigations into widespread reports of violations and abuses in the nuclear industry. One big concern is the purchase and installation of counterfeit and uncertified reactor components both inside Russia and in reactors that Russia is constructing in other countries. Another major concern is that reactor construction is compromised by theft in the form of substitution of cheaper and sub-quality materials with the construction company pocketing the difference in cost. Rosatom has its own standards for negotiating contracts which are not as strict as the usual Russian federal contracting standards. It is now legal for reactor designers to purchase components from any company that they choose without going through the tender process of requesting bids from competing companies.
The National Ecological Centre of Ukraine posted the following statement on their website: “The numerous violations of construction norms and standards, and working conditions, which lead to serious incidents at nuclear power plant construction sites in Russia, cast doubt on the capability of the State Corporation Rosatom and its subcontractor companies of carrying out quality and reliable construction projects as per Rosatom’s export contracts.”
The Belarusian Anti-Nuclear Campaign fighting the construction of a Russian reactor in the town of Ostrovets said this: “The known incidents and deficiencies in the operation and construction of Russian-built NPPs in Russia, Iran, and China, as well as the recent collapse of reinforcing steelwork at the construction site of the containment building at [Leningrad] NPP-2, are evidence that Rosatom and its structures have serious problems of a systemic nature and cannot guarantee the quality of their sites. This propagation of dangerous nuclear technologies places a special responsibility on the Russian government.” China has filed thousands of complaints about the quality of equipment being installed in a Russian reactor being built there.
Countries without their own nuclear industries are being courted by Russia, Japan and South Korea as possible customers for nuclear reactor technology. If I were a decision maker in any of country considering the purchase of a nuclear power plant, I would think twice before buying a reactor from Russia, Japan or South Korea.
