Duke's Brunswick nuclear plant declares low-level emergency as floodwaters block access

Utility Dive: Brunswick's low-level emergency declaration on Monday is a reminder of the risks of siting nuclear generation close to ocean coasts. In 2011, three reactors at Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushimia Daiichi nuclear plant melted down after an earthquake and ensuing tsunami, killing one person and releasing radioactive material into the air and water around the plant.

The Fukushima disaster prompted reforms of nuclear safety codes around the world, and NRC officials said the emergency event declared by the Brunswick plant on Monday is a far cry from that event.

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