What happens if a nuclear power plant gets bombed? What happens if a nuclear weapon is used on a nuclear power plant? Will Israel attack Iran’s nuclear facilities? What would happen if Russia and Ukraine military action damaged each others’ nuclear power stations? Are nuclear plants protected under international law?

What happens if a nuclear power plant gets bombed?

Answer

There are a number of things to consider-  if the attack is on the nuclear reactor or if it is on the spent fuel pool next to it. The size of the nuclear power plant, and how old it is are also factors. 

Most nuclear reactors are not designed for extreme events, like aerial bombing, missile strikes, or being crashed into by an aeroplane. These activities could break the containment building and destroy the reactor- causing a meltdown of the reactor core. However, most reactors are protected by thick concrete and steel containment structures- but the necessary surrounding areas, which may include spent fuel pools, cooling equipment, fire suppression equipment and more, may not be. 

Some researchers suggest that the release of Cesium-137 from spent fuel pool fires would be potentially much larger than from reactor accidents, such as occurred during the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents. Those accidents forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 in Ukraine and 160,000 in Japan. Exposure to Cesium- 137 can cause burns, acute radiation sickness and death. Spent fuel pools are often densely packed, which greatly increases the chances for a hydrogen explosion if they lose cooling and catch fire.  One of the  world’s first nuclear power station accidents at Windscale (now Sellafield) in the UK occurred when one of two graphite reactors caught fire in 1957. Iodine–131 and Polonium-210 were released and fallout spread across the UK and Europe. Iodine-131 can cause thyroid cancer and Polonium-210 is highly toxic to human life.

Nuclear power plants under construction have been attacked a number of times throughout history. For example,  power plants under construction in Iran were repeatedly bombed from the air by Iraq in the period 1984-1987. Yugoslav Air Force fighters made a threatening overpass of the Krsko nuclear plant in Slovenia -- which was operating at the time -- a few days after Slovenia declared independence in 1991. So-called research reactors in Iraq were destroyed by aerial bombing by Israel in 1981 and by the United States in 1991. Bombs damaged reactors under construction in Spain in 1977 and in South Africa in 1982. Anti-tank missiles struck a nuclear plant under construction in France in 1982.