New Delhi: It started with a routine inspection. A technician checked the incorrect valve. He turned it, closed it and walked away. What adopted was 18 hours of silence inside Golfech nuclear energy plant in southern France. The cooling system for Reactor 1, which was nonetheless operating, had been reduce off. No alerts. No sirens. The reactor stored working. However the chilly water that stops overheating by no means got here.
The error occurred on June 15. Reactor 2 was offline for scheduled upkeep. The technician was targeted on that. However the cooling valve he shut belonged to the reactor nonetheless in operation.
Reactor 1, one of many two cores on the website, is determined by that cooling stream to remain secure. With out it, strain builds, warmth climbs and a nuclear plant turns into susceptible.
The incorrect valve stayed closed for 18 hours. That complete time, nobody seen. The cooling system had stopped. The temperature contained in the reactor stored rising.
Late that night, one other technician seen one thing odd. A strain studying didn’t match the anticipated vary. A couple of minutes later, the closed valve was found. The system was restarted. Cooling resumed. The core by no means reached crucial temperatures.
However for 18 hours, it might have.
The Nuclear Security Authority (ASN) confirmed the incident. They categorised it as a “stage 1” occasion on the 7-point Worldwide Nuclear Occasion Scale – the identical stage as a minor security breach. No radioactive materials was launched. No injury occurred. However the threat, ASN mentioned, was actual.
Golfech is situated close to the Garonne River. It attracts water from the river to maintain its reactors cool. This cooling chain is a part of each nuclear plant’s backbone. It retains the gas from melting. It prevents radiation leaks. It stops disasters earlier than they start.
Technicians at nuclear vegetation endure strict coaching. Each motion is meant to be recorded. Each valve labelled. However human error is unpredictable. One misinterpret quantity and step and a near-disaster unfolds quietly.
Golfech just isn’t Chernobyl. It isn’t Fukushima as effectively. However the reminder is sharp. Even secure vegetation run on the sting of threat. Cooling methods are the final line of protection. They can’t fail. And but, they generally do – not due to machines, however due to males.
France depends closely on nuclear energy. Greater than 60% of its electrical energy comes from its 56 nuclear reactors. That makes security greater than a technical situation. It’s a nationwide concern.
The June 15 incident is below overview. Authorities need solutions. How did a crucial system go offline for 18 hours unnoticed? What failed — the person, the system or each?
The technician has not been recognized. He’s below investigation. So is the supervisory chain.
Nuclear vitality is exact work. It runs on schedules, checks and guidelines. However precision breaks when people neglect.
Golfech survived this time. However the warning has been issued. Once more.