You may have noticed that here at Nuclear Reaction we have something of a dark sense of humour. We’re able to laugh at the worst aspects of the nuclear industry. There is so much black comedy in nearly all the leaks, accidents, incompetence and cover-ups.
But even we’re prepared to admit that a joke can go too far.Our favourite French nuclear disaster zone Tricastin is in the news again. And this joke is getting very old.
This time, a storage and maintenance facility for contaminated equipment the site’s nuclear reactors was flooded when heavy rainfall caused the River Gaffiere (contaminated by a previous leak from Tricastin) to burst its banks. France’s nuclear watchdog, ASN, is yet to declare on the severity of the incident.
Now, regular readers of this blog will know that we’ve featured some spectacular stupidity shown by the nuclear industry. We’ll be the first to admit to not being experts in the construction of nuclear facilities (this blog is a testament to the fact that nobody is).
Did it not occur to the facilities designers to look at the nearby river and think, ‘hmmm, we might be in trouble it we get a lot of rain’? Why not? Isn’t it slightly worrying that they can’t they show the same good sense as monkeys?
India’s monkey population should put in a tender for France’s next nuclear facility. At least they can properly evaluate the consequences of rising water levels.