nuclear-news

At last, Nuclear Regulatory Commission is asking hard questions, about San Onofre nuclear plant

“Edison’s design errors have led to the multi-hundred million-dollar
failure of brand new equipment which has in turn endangered the lives
and livelihoods of millions of people in Southern California,”

the NRC is asking hard questions

Feds do not consider San Onofre nuclear powerplant safe
http://rt.com/usa/news/san-plant-power-tubes-959/
27 December, 2012 Federal regulators have expressed
significant concern about the safety of the San Onofre nuclear power
plant, asking for more analysis on its damaged steam generators and
requesting the plant to be able to run safely at full capacity.

The power plant has been inactive since January, when a radiation leak
led to the discovery of significant damage on many of its generator
tubes. Many worried that the dangerous conditions at the plant could
lead to California’s own Fukushima-like meltdown.

Southern California
Edison, which runs the plant, has since asked for permission to
restart one of its twin reactors, Unit 2, at 70 percent power, which
the company claims will end the vibration and friction that eroded the
generator tubes.
If the plant’s unit is restarted at 100 percent capacity, it may not
be considered safe enough to stay open. But the National Regulatory
Commission (NRC) on Wednesday said that the tubes must retain
“structural integrity” during “the full range of normal operating
conditions” in order to pass inspection, the Associated Press
reported. If the San Onofre plant is evaluated under such conditions,
it may not receive permission to restart again.
An NRC evaluation of such conditions could trigger a longer review
that will keep the plant inactive for many more months. The commission
also asked Edison to explain how generator tubes would interact with
each other if the plant operates at 100 percent capacity, as well as
several other detailed questions that will help commissioners evaluate
the feasibility of a partial restart.
Failure of the generator tubes could release radiation, which has
spurred environmental activists to lobby against a partial restart of
the plant. Friends of the Earth, a group that has repeatedly
criticized the nuclear power industry, has long pushed for the NRC to
require Edison to seek an amendment to its operating license to
restart the plant. Such an amendment would force Edison to undergo
judicial-style hearings before it can restart, which could easily take
two years.
“Edison’s design errors have led to the multi-hundred million-dollar
failure of brand new equipment which has in turn endangered the lives
and livelihoods of millions of people in Southern California,” the
environmental group wrote in a press release in November.
Friends of the Earth Spokeswoman Kendra Ulrich told AP that the group
is “encouraged that the NRC is asking hard questions.” The federal
regulators have often come under scrutiny for ignoring and brushing
off safety concerns and complaints about dangerous conditions at power
plants across the nation.
The San Onofre power plant, which used to supply power for 1.4 million
homes, has been a particularly expensive failure. The plant spent $670
million on an overhaul in 2009 and 2010, only to discover the corroded
generator tubes in early 2012. Decaying generator tubes also forced
the plant to shut down its Unit 1 reactor in 1992, even though it was
designed to last until at least 2004.

December 28, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA