- Nuclear Energy Institute
- Inside the Regional Response Center in Phoenix.
The Memphis Regional Response Center will open here on Friday, June 27 close to the former Memphis Defense Depot on Dunn Ave.
The center is the second opened this year by the nuclear energy industry to deliver emergency equipment to nuclear energy facilities in response to extreme events. The first was opened in Phoenix in May.
“The regional response centers will further increase the industry’s preparedness for severe challenges, regardless of their causes,” said Tony Pietrangelo, chief nuclear officer for the Nuclear Energy Institute [NEI]. “This is another example of the industry’s commitment to learn the lessons from the Fukushima accident in Japan and apply those lessons to enhance safety across the U.S. nuclear energy industry.”
The centers will be able to deliver a full set of portable safety equipment, radiation protection equipment, electrical generators, pumps and other emergency response equipment to an affected nuclear power plant within 24 hours, according to the NEI.
The two response centers have cost $40 million to build and make operational. They’ll cost about $4 million to operate each year. The cost for the entire project will be shared by U.S. nuclear companies.
