– Top Russian Nuclear Official: Fukushima catastrophe matched our worst-case scenario — U.S. Gov’t Email: Radiation release thought to be 500 times higher than we calculated (ENENews, Jan 2, 2014):
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (pdf), March 14, 2011: From Randy Sullivan — Thumbnail analysis of direct exposure rate reading on the Regan Aircraft Carrier. This is only an order of magnitude analysis, based on very limited data and calculation, but it seems to indicate an important consistency. NRC performed a Rascal calculation for 40% core damage (melt) and design leakage (1%). NARAC indicated they thought our calculation was a factor of 500 low based on a 0.6 mrem/hr reading on the aircraft carrier about 100 nautical miles away.
Vladimir Asmolov, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Rosenergoatom (Russia’s state owned nuclear power operator), Jan. 1, 2014: “A huge wave flooded the area for just ten minutes, and the [Fukushima Daiichi] plant was not ready for that. The worst happened later. We modelled the meltdown based on the worst-case scenario, and our assessment turned out to be accurate. The staff did nothing to prevent the catastrophe. […] The main story has been established. […] the overheated reactors cracked and released radioactive waste into the environment.”