As the Nuclear Regulatory Commission continues to review plans to partially restart the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, one nuclear scientist renews his assertions that the recent upgrades there were botched from the beginning.
Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Associates, contracted by national environmental group Friends of the Earth, told regulators at a hearing in Maryland this week that they were asleep at the wheel when they approved upgrades to the plants steam generators, installed in 2009 and 2010.
One of those generators, because of manufacturing and design defects, sprang a leak of radioactive steam in January of 2012. The leak revealed that the generators were riddled with more than a thousand bum components.
Now, plant operator Southern California Edison is trying to convince the NRC that it can safely restart the less-damaged half of the plant at partial power.
Los Angeles Public Radio reports:
The group Friends of Earth presented about 40 different slides – mostly technical data – at a Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearing Wednesday outside Washington, D.C. But the crux of their case can be summed up by just one slide: a drawing of a cart before the horse.
The group argues San Onofre’s operator, Southern California Edison, should have been required to go through the NRC's license amendment process before it installed new steam generators in 2009 and 2010.
“What happened is Edison made their mind up before they went out for bids they were not going to tell the NRC all the changes they were making,” said nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen, who testified on behalf of Friends of the Earth. “This steam generator is so much changed from everything before it, it’s no wonder they had problems.”
Where would you rather have the power plant? Keep in mind, it requires a virtually endless supply of water for cooling purposes. If you would rather get your electricity from a different source, please explain which source you prefer, where you would recommend the plant be located, and how that source is superior to nuclear.
There are 56 arrows that all eventually get to the San Diego Freeway. Good Luck.
Although there have been a few quirks in the operation of San Onofre nuclear lately, overall nuclear power has a very safe record. Some western european nations have the majority of their power supplied by nuclear power with no accident. The Russians were very careless with Chernoybl and made some HUGE mistakes that should never happen under regulations we have in America. And the fault lines and geological structure that supports San Onofre is quite different than what Japan faced. The Japanese were nuts for building their plants where they were located. They were asking for a disaster to happen. Very few similaries between their plants and San Onofre. We simply need nuclear power unless you want to fill our atomosphere with coal dust and pay $10/gallon for gasoline. There are tradeoff to everything in life. Nuclear power is relatively cheap and in non-exhaustible. We need to look at the positives and negatives of everything. And IMO the positives of nuclear power outweigh the negatives, socially and economically. This is a very controversial topic. We must put everything into perspective.
How can I join Friends of the Earth?!
If Friends of the Earth is in charge of my car, they want me to scrap it, when all I need is a new tie rod. They want me to ride my bike to work even though that would take four hours. I should be quiet. Cars have killed many many multiples more innocent people than nuclear power ever has or ever will. FoE will try to scrap my cars next!
Reduce Reuse & Recycle! Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute!
Only ignorant people call something else ignorant without challenging it with facts. If I'm ignorant you're a moron, Leah! :^)