“Shutting a power plant of this size down to a safe condition just has to be a big f’n deal to accomplish.”
Not really. You push the control rods home and the chain reaction stops. So long as the cooling pumps work you can get rid of the excess heat from short life isotopes in the core. Quite simple actually.
It should be noted that the reactor meltdowns in Japan were a result of the failure of cooling water for the reactor due to loss of power to the cooling pumps.
One big diesel engine connected to pumps would have prevented the meltdown. The meltdown occurred due to inferior safety design. They had no mechanical backup system for cooling in an area known for Tsunami. The real irony is the cost of such a system is cheap.
—> One big diesel engine connected to pumps would have prevented the meltdown.
Diesel! Shouldn’t they use Solar and wind energy to meet Soros’ plan for an Open Society?