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Atomic Insights

Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

Atomic Show #213 – TMI Memories

March 24, 2014 By Rod Adams

At 4:00 am on March 28, 1979, the accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2 began. That day, 35 years ago this coming Friday, is seared into the memory of most of the people who were working in the industry, who regularly watched the evening news, or who lived in the northeast US. Most can remember exactly what they were doing when they first heard the news and what they did in the next few days as the event unfolded.

I chatted with two people who were working in the nuclear industry at the time of the accident. Les Corrice was working in the operations department at a boiling water reactor owned by the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company while Dave Rossin was the Director of Research for Commonwealth Edison. Despite my advanced years and my status of being a three time grandfather, I was a sophomore in college–at a school where there were few opportunities to watch the evening news–at the time of the event.

Mainly, I listened to the two more experienced individuals share their stories.

We also talked about some of the impacts that the accident had on the nuclear industry. I was able to contribute a little more to that discussion. I think you will learn something from this discussion.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/AtomicShowFiles/atomic_20140323_213.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13:47 — 33.9MB)

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Filed Under: Accidents, Atomic history, Podcast

About Rod Adams

Rod Adams is an atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience, now serving as a Managing Partner at Nucleation Capital, an emerging climate-focused fund. Rod, a former submarine Engineer Officer and founder of Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., one of the earliest advanced nuclear ventures, has engaged in technical, strategic, political, historic and financial discussion and analysis of the nuclear industry, its technology and policies for several decades. He is the founder of Atomic Insights and host and producer of The Atomic Show Podcast.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David Andersen says

    March 24, 2014 at 8:12 PM

    Another communication glitch was that the NRC thought that an air sample report from a helicopter some distance away was actually from a sample taken directly inside the exhaust stack causing them to think releases from the plant were much higher than actual.

  2. Sean McKinnon says

    March 28, 2014 at 3:00 PM

    Great show!

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