(EnergyAsia, March 15 2011, Tuesday) — The unfolding nuclear crisis in Japan is the worst since Russia’s Chernobyl, said Washington DC-based environmental group Friends of the Earth (FOE).

There have been two explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility in northern Japan since an 8.9-richter scale earthquake struck off the coast last Friday, triggering tsunamis, killing more than 10,000 people and shattering infrastructure.

FOE said the nuclear plant explosions have increased the danger of a significant radiation release from one or more of the reactors, with the potential of a meltdown.

The cooling systems have failed to work in the 460MW Fukushima I-1 reactor, with the possibility that radiation may be released into the air to lower pressure levels within the reactor. This would be the worst case scenario as dangerous radiation is released into the environment.

The Japanese government has declared a state of emergency and ordered the evacuation of thousands of people living near the reactors. National broadcaster NHK said it was the first time a nuclear emergency evacuation order had been issued in Japan.

FOE experts in the US said they are monitoring these “alarming developments” as there are 35 boiling water reactors (the type of reactor involved in the emergency in Japan) in the US.

Damon Moglen, a nuclear expert and director of the climate and energy project at FOE, said:

“Our hearts go out to the people of Japan. There is a danger that if the containment is lost, and if there is a breach of the reactor, we could see a massive radiation release — that is the worst-case scenario. It is crucial that officials are transparent and provide all available information to the public.”

Tom Clements, a FOE nuclear coordinator, said:

“This incident is likely to cause a sober reassessment of the construction of new nuclear reactors in the US as nuclear technology can go from normal operation to an accident of frightening proportions in a manner of minutes.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Ed Markey (Massachusetts) has written to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, asking for clarification about how earthquakes can impact Japanese and US nuclear facilities. He has asked about the vulnerability of the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor now being pursued by utilities in Georgia and South Carolina.