South Carolina’s turn to prepare for the “worst”

About every eight years, states that are home to fixed nuclear facilities are required by the federal government to prepare for the worst. Now it’s South Carolina’s turn. Next month in Florence, the state will host an “Ingestion Pathway Exercise”—during which the nuclear industry, state and county emergency management teams, radiation experts and others will devise intricate plans on how best to deal with a nuclear release. According to the Clemson University Public Service and Agriculture, the Florence exercise will focus on how such a disaster would affect the food and agricultural communities within a 50-mile radius of the plant. A widespread release of radiation from a nuclear plant is considered unlikely, but federal agencies want the state to plan just in case. South Carolina has one federal nuclear power facility and four fixed nuclear plants, including Duke Energy’s Oconee Nuclear Station. They make South Carolina a top producer of nuclear energy.