Nuclear Power risks from Climate Change

There are Nuclear Power risks from Climate Change. (But what are the actionable implications and alternatives?)

National Geographic 2021: The more immediate concern from climate change, says Dominion spokesperson Ken Holt, is the water near Millstone getting too warm. One of its units had to shut down temporarily in 2012, because its intake from the Niantic Bay exceeded 75 degrees. It's a problem that has affected other plants, too. "I'd say that is probably affecting more plants than sea level rise at this point," Holt says.

TheConversation 2021: A recent (2019) US Army War College report also states that nuclear power facilities are at high risk of temporary or permanent closure due to climate threats – with 60% of US nuclear capacity at risk from future sea-level rise, severe storms, and cooling water shortages.

ClimateWire summarizing Moody's 2020: Because nuclear generation facilities rely on external water sources for cooling, the vast majority are situated near rivers, lakes and oceans. That exposes them to flooding and storm surges, which can damage critical equipment. (article copied at SciAm)

Global Environmental Politics 2019: Roughly 41 percent of nuclear power plants operate near seacoasts, making them vulnerable to increasing storm intensity and sea-level rise.

Bloomberg 2019: After Fukushima, U.S. regulators told operators to calculate their exposure to various flood risks and compare that with what the plant was designed for. Ninety percent of plants had at least one risk exceeding their design... The commission’s three members appointed by President Donald Trump wrote that existing regulations were sufficient to protect the country’s nuclear reactors.