View: Algonquin plan poses risks to Indian Point, residents

Nuclear power plants and natural gas transmission lines provide energy for homes and businesses. Due to the inherent hazards associated with these energy sources, the federal government "regulates" both. The proposed routing of the Algonquin natural gas pipeline near the Indian Point nuclear plant poses the risk that these hazards may team up to harm the community.

I speak as a professional engineer with more than 45 years of nuclear experience including formerly reporting directly to the Chief Nuclear Officer at Indian Point and an expert witness for the State of New York related to the relicensing of Indian Point.

There are three gas existing natural gas transmission lines traversing the Indian Point site within 600 feet of vital structures. There has not been any publicly available analysis demonstrating the risks of these lines. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has refused to provide this information under the guise of national security, yet has maintained the "secret" analysis shows Indian Point is not at undue risk.

Failure of any of these lines could result in a total loss of cooling to the reactor cores and 40 years inventory of spent fuel. There are no provisions within the area to combat this event until valves are remotely closed from the pipeline company's facility in Houston, Texas. In the meantime, the energy released from a ruptured line in one hour would exceed the energy released from one of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.

Some of the possible consequences of a gas line fire/explosion to Indian Point include loss of power to the entire site, secondary fires from liquid fuel storage tanks, reactor core damage and melting, asphyxiation of site personnel, spent fuel radioactivity releases exceeding those of Fukushima, and social/economic damages exceeding $1 trillion.

Now Algonquin/Spectra wants to place yet another high-pressure 42-inch line also in the vicinity of Indian Point, doubling the existing capacity. According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, "the proposed route would not pose any new hazard to the (Indian Point) facility." There is no way FERC could make this determination without a complete risk analysis. And FERC's Draft Environmental Impact Statement ignores damage prevention, emergency response and public awareness, which are federal Department of Transportation requirements.

Algonquin gas pipeline project sparks safety concerns

An independent study of a gas pipeline near a nuclear facility in another state concluded it represented an undue risk. The amount of gas flow and energy in that pipeline was less than 1/1000 of the Algonquin/Spectra project and the facility was located in an area with much lower population.

The probability of a gas line failure is remote but is not zero especially if terrorism is considered. This may possibly be one of the most attractive targets in thenation.

The event would be aggravated by the decision of Spectra to not include any automatic gas termination valves and no means to combat the fire/explosion prior to gas flow termination. The gas lines are not designed to the most stringent safety standards as discussed in DOT regulations. The only gas isolation valves are remotely controlled from Houston, Texas. It seems the community around Indian Point is protected against a gas pipeline rupture triggering a nuclear plant accident—unless a gas pipeline ruptures. That's unacceptable.

The State of New York and all of the impacted counties must demand an independent and transparent analysis be conducted by an independent engineering organization. The cost for this study should be borne by Spectra/Entergy.

It is unconscionable and irresponsible to continue this project prior to a complete, independent risk analysis. The potential consequences of this event are too devastating to the New York area and my home State of Connecticut not to design this new line to maximum safety standards and assess the risk.

The writer, a West Hartford, Conn., resident, is an engineer.

MORE

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission holds a public hearing on its draft environmental study of Spectra Energy's Algonquin Incremental Market plan.

When: 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15

Where: The Muriel H. Morabito Community Center, 29 Westbrook Drive, Cortlandt.

Details: Visit FERC's website, ferc.gov, and enter Algonquin Incremental Market Project's number – CP14-96-000 – in the search window.