Operating a Nuclear Power Station in Malaysia

Suppose there was a nuclear power plant in Malaysia as the price of oil had shot up to US$150 a barrel and the energy hungry Malaysians had even lodged nation wide protests to persuade the government to build the first privatised power plant. The plant is located somewhere in Pahang as it was a central location. It is called an Independent Nuclear Plant (INP)

The foreign consultants have gone home as the plant has been properly commissioned and the equipment is running smoothly.

Twenty years on, there is some wear and tear on the plant and buildings and the plant management has become a little slack as no incidents have occurred. Or rather the small incidents were never reported and were all quietly hushed up as the procedures for reporting and investigating were tedious and long.

The people in charge of safety and security grew lazy and many security breaches occurred. However the police did manage to catch a thief who wanted to blow up a building with the radioactive material.

The project consultants now return and advise there is a serious problem in the design and operating manual. There is some possibility that a serious mishap will occur if the operating procedure is not corrected and a minor component needs to be recalled for recalibration to enhance safety.

But the plant owners refuse to meet with the consultants and impose a gag order on all those working in the nuclear plant. There is to be no discussion on the safety concerns and no changes will be made to the operating procedures.

What do you think of this scenario? Can you relate this to current events in Malaysia?

photo: USA government. DOE