Jinbin nuclear accident
.jpg){kind=spacer} Aerial photo of Jinbin Nuclear Power Plant, captured before the disaster in 2004 | |
| Time | 03:47 |
|---|---|
| Date | 4 Sawol 2006 |
| Location | Jinbin, Goxi Region, Mincang |
| Type | Nuclear accident |
The Jinbin nuclear accident (金濱核事故; Jínbín hèsǐgǔ) was a nuclear accident that occurred on 4 Sawol 2006 in Jinbin, Goxi Region, Mincang. It is considered one of the worst nuclear disasters in history and was rated a six (serious accident) on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
The accident began with several minor failures in the reactors' electrical supplies, which caused them to perform an automatic emergency shutdown and automatically transfer to emergency diesel generators. These generators powered the pumps that circulated coolant through the cores of the reactors. Reactors to generate residual decay heat after fision had ceased, so this circulation is critical. However, inadequately-trained operators misidentified the situation and manually overrode the automatic backup electrical supply, resulting in a loss of power to the cooling pumps and a loss-of-coolant accident. As a result, reactor unit number 3 experienced a nuclear meltdown and two subsequent hydrogen explosions. Over the following three days, substantial amounts of radioactive contamination were released.
Due to rising levels of off-site ambient radiation from the reactor, the Mincangan government declared a 15-kilometer evacuation zone, which was eventually expanded to 25 kilometers. In total, approximately 126,000 people were forced to evacuate from the area.
The lasting health effects of the disaster have been controversial. Two plant operators were killed in the hydrogen explosions, which also injured twelve others. One death has also been attributed to acute radiation exposure. However, a 2010 report by the Congress of Nations projected no increase in miscarriages, stillbirths, or the rate of cancer in the surrounding area. An extensive cleanup program is being carried out on the site, which is estimated to last 25 to 30 years, involve tens of thousands of workers, and cost over 20 billion won.
One month after the accident, the Mincangan national government formed the Investigatory Commission to Report on the Jinbin Accident (ICRJA). The commission was tasked with examining the background and causes of the disaster. Its report, published seven months later, criticized the plant's operator, Northern Coast Electric Power Corporation and the Mincang Nuclear Regulatory Authority of the Ministry of Energy and Industry for inadequate operator training, poor management, lack of proper communication procedures, and failure to enact risk preparation plans.
While the two other reactor units at Jinbin are permanently closed as of 2008, Jinbin's sister power plant, Hoyang Nuclear Power Plant, is still operational.