E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSA paragliding Greenpeace activist who dropped a smoke bomb over a French nuclear reactor on Wednesday added a new element to the presidential race there -- and raised the question of whether the same, or worse, could happen at a U.S. nuclear reactor.
"At no moment was the safety of the installations at risk," said the plant's operator, French utility giant EDF, adding that the pilot was arrested by security staff at the Bugey nuclear plant in southeast France.
EDF acknowledged that a second activist was arrested at another nuclear site in southwest France after entering via a truck gate and hiding for an hour in brush within the "surveillance zone," Reuters reported.
Greenpeace said it was raising awareness of nuclear power issues ahead of France's presidential elections on Sunday.
It "illustrates the vulnerability of French nuclear to the threat of air attack," Greenpeace France spokeswoman Sophia Majnoni d'Intignano said in a statement. "While Germany took into account the aircraft crash in its safety testing, France still refuses to analyze this risk for our plants."
France, which gets 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, pledged special safety tests at its 58 reactors after Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011.
Those tests include standing up to floods, earthquakes, power outages and cooling system failures -- but not terrorist attacks or even a plane crash.
So could a paraglider attack happen in the U.S. -- or would it be shot down before even getting to a nuclear site?
"Completely speculative," Steve Kerekes, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, told msnbc.com. "Our facilities are extremely well-defended. Let's leave it at that."
Over at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a group that says it's neither for nor against nuclear power, two nuclear experts said that while a reactor's containment dome would be hard to penetrate other targets are available.
The intake structure, where water is brought in to cool the reactor fuel, "is an easier target," Dave Lochbaum told msnbc.com. Without coolant, that fuel could cause a meltdown.
The aerial threat exists, added Edwin Lyman, because the Nuclear Regulatory Commission "decided in 2007 to exclude any kind of aerial attack from the 'design basis threat' -- that is, the set of attacks that reactor operators must provide protection to defend against.
"So the NRC doesn't require that nuclear plants have means to detect or defend against intrusions from the air," he added. "And the federal government also does not require 'no fly zones' around nuclear plants that could be enforced by the military."
Kerekes countered by noting that an independent study in 2002 found that U.S. nuclear containment structures can withstand even a crash from a commercial airliner.
As for paragliders, Lochbaum said a more likely scenario is where one or more are used at night in an attempt to get into a nuclear plant.
"While nuclear plant security perimeter fences are well lit, the lighting is to allow security officers to catch anyone trying to climb over, cut through, or tunnel under the fences," he said. "The lights and the camera angles might not readily show someone flying in. That someone could be carrying sufficient weapons to cause problems."
At that point, Lochbaum said, "it becomes a race -- can the intruder access area(s) needed to sabotage the plant before the security officers intervene?"
Japan wants Fukushima residents to bury radiated soil in their own backyards, but how dangerous is the dirt and where should it go? NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel reports.
Nuclear plants already test such scenarios, and Lochbaum said "the good guys sometimes lose the race" in testing -- even with the six weeks notice given by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
"Typically, the force-on-force tests are conducted once every three years at each U.S. nuclear plant," he said. "A test may consist of four exercises -- different entry points and different targets. It would be useful to periodically throw in a glider or parachute entry to make sure the security officers practice handling such threats, too."
Nuclear power debate in France includes Libya project
Back in France, the stunt certainly got attention -- but not all of it flattering for Greenpeace.
"The main consequence of this stupid action will be to prevent any air recreation within more areas of France," posted one person on Greenpeace's main blog on the stunt.
An anonymous post on another Greenpeace blog criticized the stunt, saying a paraglider couldn't carry enough explosives to damage nuclear containment areas.
"You've also missed the point," the writer added, "that someone could cause far graver damage by carrying out a similar attack on the Olympic Stadium in London later in the year."
Reuters contributed to this report.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- George Zimmerman's old Myspace page includes slurs against Mexicans
- Chicago pays $45 million in 3 years to settle complaints against cops
- Maryland court finds pit bulls are 'inherently dangerous'
- Video: Obama describes raid that killed bin Laden
- NJ mom arrested after allegedly taking daughter, 5, tanning
Leave a Comment:
Nuclear Radiation is bad and doesn't go away. French seem to have a love affair with nuclear waste processing from all over the world. It's only a matter of time before the Frogs begin to grow extra arms and legs.
The absolute worst case scenario for a nuclear generating station disaster has occurred more than a year ago in Japan and in the grand scheme of things it has turned out to have minor effects compared to the effects of a natural event such as a tsunami. Yes, it was and still is a difficult event to deal with but try and imagine dealing with catastrophic events that would surely occur if all nuclear plants across the globe were shut down next week, permanently. You would not have been able to foolishly respond to this news story.
Enough with the nuclear disaster scare tactics, that weapon has been disarmed by facts and recent events. You need to focus on something else and we'll let you know if your fears and concerns are warranted.
That's why the French are on the leading edge of nuclear waste disposal technology. Most greenies who complain about waste disposal are still in the 60's when it comes to waste storage technology. If other countries are willing to pay big dollars for storage waste in France, the French are smart to take the money with no risk. Hell, if they want to store it in my backyard, I'll take it. I can use some extra money.
None of the problems posed in the above posts are really issues anymore. They may all apply to the 50 year old reactor designs that we seem to insist on using but fortunately we have an alternative. We have the technology to build Thorium based Molten Salt Reactors.
These reactors are passively safe, can be built underground to prevent terrorist attacks, are capable of burning current stockpiles of nuclear waste (turning it into something that is safe in ~300 years vs. ~10,000), do not provide materials suitable for building nuclear weapons, and use Thorium, an element that the USA has in abundant supply.
We could cut carbon decisions significantly and break our dependence on foreign oil in one fell swoop.
Do you know how much frog legs go for?
US nuclear facilities are guarded much more closely. I doubt the pilot would have survived a similar stunt in the US. The facility guards would have shot first and asked questions later.
unkn0wn1
\The area will never be safe for hundreds of years right? Yeah that why so many people live in Hiroshima right?
So we're made to believe that a single guy in a praglider could drop a bomb which would cause damage enough to disrupt operations at a nuclear plant or even cause a catastrophic failure including meltdown? Get real.
STexan - you are the fool here to think that nuclear reactors are safe. You are probably also one of the delusional individuals who claimed that no radioactivity was released after the disaster in Japan. Your proof? Because their government said so. Funny how no one can ever return to the areas in that country that were evacuated to live when nothing escaped.
So, Scubasteve, you think that 300 years is better than 10,000? You do realize that the United States was still a British colony 300 years ago, right? It has not yet been 236 years since the Revolutionary War began. That's the one that we fought to become an independent nation, in case you didn't know.
Scales:
Get real. What spades said is very true. A paraglider isn't going to do squat against the concrete dome on top of a nuclear reactor.
unknown1
Radiation goes away the moment it finds the missing items (in the case of an alpha particle, once it finds two electrons, it is not 'radiation' anymore. A beta particle just needs to find an atom that is looking for an electron, but once it does, it is not radiation anymore.
Please learn a little bit about what ionizing radiation actually is.
@Scales67
Yes. I think it's 9,700 years better. We already have waste that will take around 10,000 years to become non-radioactive. You don't think shaving 9,700 years off that number (as well as reducing the total volume I might add) is a good idea?
> The absolute worst case scenario for a nuclear generating station disaster has occurred more than a year ago in Japan
Um, no. Chernobyl was worse than Fukushima, and things could be worse than Chernobyl.
That said, while things *could* be worse -- it's certainly not very likely, and the safety record of nuclear plants is generally improving over time as people learn how to better design and run plants.
Texan, do you know whats worse than nuclear power? NO POWER! The Japanese were without power and were suffering horribly while stuck in those containment camps set up by the government. Oh, didn't hear their stories? Didn't catch their plights on MSNBC? hmm...
Texan, do you know whats worse than nuclear power? NO POWER! The Japanese were without power and were suffering horribly while stuck in those containment camps set up by the government. Oh, didn't hear their stories? Didn't catch their plights on MSNBC?
This might interest you then.
http://enformable.com/2012/05/japans-polar-shift-on-may-5th-should-be-remembered-not-forgotten/
As it currently stands, the only nuclear power plant in Japan in operation is the Unit 3 at Tomari nuclear power plant in Hokkaido Electric Power Co., which is scheduled to power down around 17:00pm this Friday, and drop offline around 23:00pm (JST) on May 5th.
If it actually goes down as planned, Japan will be completely without nuclear power for the first time in 40 years.
That is a paramotor pilot, not a paraglider. Please do your research MSNBC. It seems like minutiae but you could adversely affect a group of people all over the world who participate in the sport of paragliding with your inaccurate reporting.
Would have been a shame if security shot him on the way down. Better write that into the manual.
This is so true. There would have been a public outcry if the security guards had simply shot this guy while he floated down, although they would have been completely justified to do so. This was an absolutely asinine stunt by Greenpeace that could easily have resulted in their people being killed by some overanxious security guard. It will now likely result in exclusion zones for aircraft around nuclear plants in France. Hopefully the idiots responsible for this stunt will get long prison terms to think about what they did. US officials do not like to talk about the security procedures for nuclear power plants, but I imagine they have already considered this type of attack and are prepared to handle it. The reality is that it would take far more explosives than an paraglider or light aircraft could carry to breach the heavily reinforced, several foot thick concrete of the reactor containment structure. Modern nuclear power plants are built to withstand a lot and are one of the safest forms of power generation. They also have one of the least environmental impacts of any form of power generation. There are ways to safely store the nuclear waste as well as ways to reprocess it to make it far less hazardous. Preventing Yucca Mountain from opening as one of the dumbest moves ever made as it was designed to safely store waste from nuclear reactors for many thousands of years. Now instead, the waste is being stored in pools next to plants all over the country that offer no where near the level of protection and containment offered by Yucca Mountain.
He should have been shot!
OK Greenpeace. Maybe one guy did not pose a threat...but wait...maybe six guys managed to glide to the site. Oh wait...Bottom line is the sky if the only real cover over one of these things, and there is little to nothing you can do.
If you watch closely, it appears 'some action' was taken to bring him down. He was in a powered paraglider and as he passes the smoke bomb, you see his wing 'collapse' causing him to lose lift and go straight down. The pilot didn't do that. Something was either shot at the wing or a helicopter out of the camera's range was trying to take him down--and they did.
Anti-aircraft gunners need to be stationed around every nuclear plant in the country. It's common sense that no aircraft should travel within close range to a nuclear power plant.
I have flown of dozens of reactors in the us on regular flight paths
and this guy i s friking idiot he should have been shot down
The roof of a US reactor has three to five feet of reinforced concrete. A 747 could not penetrate a US reactor's containment.
People really don't read these articles before they start commenting do they??!! Yes, it is true that the roof is thick reinforced concrete...the potential problem is a person or a couple people parachuting onto the roof and from there gaining access to either the plant its self or the cooling intake values. The article states that while the perimeter of the US Plants are lite up at night and patrolled the whole plant was not lighted allowing someone to stealthily approach by parasail or hanglider, gain access and plant explosives. The article did not say that by dropping a bomb on the roof it would cause the whole thing to blow up!!! READ PEOPLE!!
Years ago I worked on the construction of nuclear plants in Washington State. Everyone should take a tour of a nuclear facility so that you can see just how amazing a containment building is. I think most would be awe struck by the massiveness of an American made nuclear plant's containment building. Truly amazing.
As has been said, the guy in the paraglider is lucky he didn't get shot.
If you watch closely, it appears 'some action' was taken to bring him down. He was in a powered paraglider and as he passes the smoke bomb, you see his wing 'collapse' causing him to lose lift and go straight down. The pilot didn't do that. Something was either shot at the wing or a helicopter out of the camera's range was trying to take him down--and they did.
The reactors that melted down (and melted through) at Fukushima were made by General Electric to the exact same specifications as all the other reactors General Electric built here in America.
Let's hope that Greenpeace with its ingenuity stays OUT of any sort of alliance with Occupy!
Greenpeace seems to be one of the more creative terrorist groups.
Greenpeace sucks.
This type of intruder who enters the air space of a nuclear power plant deserves to be shot once he or she enters ( even before). Here it goes for repeat elsewhere.
This guy was running for sheriff of Pinal County as a democrat. I have friends who knew of him and he was a real nut case.
you have friends OMG and ill bet their the stuck up republican mofo's
Nice of Greenpeace to check out the security holes for real terrorists to exploit!
ralphie, do you really believe that terrorists need new ideas from anyone else. They spend their entire waking moments thinking up new schemes of attack.
Last night, they figured out how to poison my Key Lime Pie!
Yes, he should have been killed without question. Try that over the White House or Pentagon.
Should have used a stink bomb
Greenpeace, as usual, is nothing but a bunch of bungling idiots. So what, you flew over the plant and released a smoke bomb. BFD! What does that prove? Only that you are an idiot that does not want to comply with the law. Wow, how stupid.
If you want to harm the reactor, well, this is not the way to do it! There is not even a problem if you want to drop a real bomb on this baby. It just chuckles!!!!
Again, as said earlier, Greenpeace consists of a bunch of idiots that should get a job and shut up.
sub, Greenpeace has contributed good more to society than a million bumbling idiots like yourself. Best that you shut the hell up!
Really? Go hug a tree. Meanwhile, I'm having spotted owl patte on crackers for an appetizer, then on to my main course...Bald Eagle Cordon Bleu.
Hey, leave the bald eagles off the menu! LOL
It's because even the government realizes that nobody needs to go as far as sabotaging nuclear reactors in France... They just need to point a gun at someone and the nation as a whole will surrender.
LMAO
The nuclear companies wont spend the money on NOT building on faultlines or away from the ocean.
But they'll concern themselves with this.
Exactly. The US was going to put a reactor right in New Madrid, MO. Brilliant
I can see it now, the D.O.E. will go to Sons of Guns to get a anti-paraglider close in weapons system for the power plants.
Try that in the US and you might get a Stinger missile up the a$$... literally. In any case, the French are quite comfortable with nuclear power (from whence comes most of their electricity), so these internationalist crybabies probably just got themselves arrested for nothing.
Like the man said, "the US plants are very well defended and lets leave it at that". He is correct. That glider would have been shot down in the US without hesitation.
There are more security personnel in nuclear sites than operators. I'm exaggerating, but there are lots of them, dressed in military fatigue and well-armed. That paraglider would have been shot before he hit the ground.
A nuclear reactor is a steam plant. Not a bomb. A melt down is the worst possible thing that could happen. If greenpeace wants to demostrate radiation dangers, take one of thier volunteers and see how long they really want to be the example!
it isnt hi tech but why doesnt the US run tests for para-glider attacks... using paint balloons I would bet there is many who would step up to the challenge. would be fun
If a terrorist in an ultralight aircraft wants to do damage (besides to himself), he might do better staying away from nuke plants and other high profile installations.
Maybe just drop some water balloons on a school or park and call it good.
in no way could a dude on a paraglider carry a big enough explosive device to damage a 3 to 4 foot reinforced concrete containment building enclosing a 3/4" steel shell. Just my opinion but why didn't the security force take this guy out!
Once again, that was not the main objective!!! They wanted to see how close they could get to getting inside...they got pretty darn close......I truly believe the reason we don't see more acts of "home grown terror" here in the US is because 95% of the citizens don't don't know their ass from a whole in the ground.....These comments only cement that idea for me! :)
Hey! Greenpeace! Save the whales, don't pile more on your plate than you can handle!
Should have shot the SOB down. Anyone nutcase that wants to destroy a nuclear reactor to make a point is putting all of us at risk. Greenpeace has clearly crossed the line on this one.
Every nuclear installation should have at least three Centurion C-RAMs operating on full automatic to deal with threats. They would have splattered pieces of that Greenpeace fool all over the French countryside the moment he turned in on an intercept course.
Could it happen here in the U.S. they ask? Well gee...doesn't that make you feel safe all over? What a bunch of idiots we have running this country if they haven't at least considered this scenario. Of course it could happen here you dolts! I'm just surprised it hasn't happened already!
Your statement is horridly ignorant. You don't honestly think that security at a nuclear power plant hasn't run a scenario like this in the US?
I am thinking that if the "dolt"( I truly hate that word, but ironically it fits here!) had read the entire article he would have read that the plants conduct multiple scenarios and exercises. Our government does more than sit around, contrary to what you think. Who's the idiot now.