A sequence of recent earthquakes, being studied by officials at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, has rekindled concern about the possible seismic threat to the Indian Point nuclear power plant, which is situated next to the Ramapo fault, 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan. This is an extremely timely matter given Entergy’s interest in seeking a 20-year license renewal from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that would extend their license to operate Indian Point 2 and 3 to 2033 and 2035, respectively. An updated seismic hazard analysis is urgently needed, especially in light of the more stringent seismic criteria now employed for several other comparable nuclear facilities. The New York and New Jersey Congressional delegations should ensure that Entergy immediately conducts an updated seismic hazard analysis for Indian Point and that the new analysis be peer-reviewed by a competent and independent party.”

Hearings held decades ago addressed Indian Point’s design basis for withstanding an earthquake. Decades later, the seismic hazard analysis may be in need of updating and should be subjected to a thorough peer review. It is unclear whether Indian Point’s new owner, Entergy, has commissioned an up-to-date assessment of earthquake hazard for the plant based on the latest research findings. Officials we spoke with at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which has been monitoring earthquakes in the New York-New Jersey area since the 1970’s, were unaware of such a new study.

A great deal more information on earthquakes has become available since the hazard analysis, which was performed decades ago, regarding the risk of damage to Indian Point posed by seismic activity. For example, a sequence of earthquakes that started in August 2003 is being studied by Lamont-Doherty near the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border about 75 miles southwest of Indian Point. These earthquakes are particularly pertinent to the potential for earthquakes near Indian Point because they are associated with the same fault system (the Ramapo fault) situated next to the plant site. Furthermore, new research suggests that damaging earthquakes could nucleate at a shallower depth than previously thought. While the probability of a damaging earthquake may be low, damage to the nuclear plants at Indian Point may have dire secondary consequences for the region.

Relicensing Criteria for Seismic Hazard
For the sake of argument, if Entergy chose to immediately close Indian Point’s existing reactors and seek to replace them with new reactors, the new reactors would clearly have to meet the NRC’s new and more stringent seismic criteria (10 CFR Part 100.23 deals with geologic and seismic siting criteria). The same stringent criteria pertaining to newer reactors should also apply to older reactors, like those at Indian Point, that are seeking a 20-year license renewal. However, it is unclear whether such stringent criteria are being applied to Indian Point. Recently, the owners of the Clinton, Grand Gulf, and North Anna nuclear plants experienced unexpected difficulty in meeting the new seismic criteria of early site permitting applications (i.e., for a permit from the NRC to build a new reactor on the existing site). As a result, these plant operators were forced to delay their application submission for several months.

Funding for Seismic Monitoring Stations
Over the years, a few seismic monitoring stations near Indian Point have been closed due to funding cutbacks, thereby resulting in a lack of vital data needed to assess activity of local faults and potential for negatively impacting Indian Point, particularly the spent fuel pools and reactor building.