COLUMBIA (WACH) -- As radiation continues to leak in Japan following explosions and fires at several tsunami-devastated reactors, data from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission shows several nuclear facilities in South Carolina are among the nation's most at risk for earthquake damage.
South Carolina has four operational nuclear power plants, and a majority of the state's population lives within 50 miles of a nuclear facility.
An Upstate nuclear plant in Seneca operated by Charlotte-based Duke Energy ranks as the nation's 8th most at-risk facility out of 104 U.S. nuclear sites, according to the NRC. SCANA's V.C. Summer nuclear facility in Jenkinsville is ranked 18th on the list. The NRC risk estimates are based on 2008 and 1989 geological data.
According to the NRC risk data, the Seneca reactor site has a roughly one in 23,000 chance of damage during an earthquake that could potentially exposing the public to radiation. The Jenkinsville facility has a roughly one in 26,000 risk of damage.
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