Coastal location leaves power stations exposed

The Sunday Times, March13, 2011
by Charles Clover

Japan was probably the nation best prepared for one of the worst natural events. Or was it?
The combination of circumstances which knocked even the standby generators out of action at the Fukushima nuclear reactors, leading to an explosion and the danger of a meltdown, have reminded us of the possibility of a new, as yet unplayed-out environmental catastrophe triggered by a natural event.
Until now this has been the stuff of imagination and disaster movies. Ironically, it is the very sophistication of the Japanese economy, with its 50 nuclear power plants, which made it vulnerable to a consequential event of this kind.
The explosion at Fukushima will provoke much thought around the world now that building nuclear power stations is back in fashion. Questions will be asked about the practice of siting such power stations on coasts.
Did anyone explore the possibility that a tsunami would make it uniquely difficult to prevent the biggest problem with the present generation of nuclear reactors - that if cooling systems pack up, hot liquids can vaporise and cause a release of radioactive materials?