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Petition lodged with NRC to shut down Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant

Petition seeks closure of Diablo Canyon nuclear plant David R. Baker  David R. Baker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail:dbaker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DavidBakerSF , August 27, 2014 The environmental group that helped shut down the San Onofre nuclear plant last year is now using the same tactic in a bid to close California’s last nuclear power plant, PG&E’s Diablo Canyon.

The plant, near San Luis Obispo, risks catastrophic failure during an earthquake and should be shuttered pending a public review of its safety, according to a petition that Friends of the Earth filed with federal regulators Tuesday.

The group filed the petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, arguing that Diablo’s design may not be strong enough to withstand earthquakes from fault lines that nearly surround the plant. As proof, the environmentalists cite a recently disclosed report from a former federal inspector at the plant who reached the same conclusion.

Earthquake fears have long shadowed the plant, which opened in 1985 after years of protests. Several fault lines were found only after work on the plant began, with the latest discovery coming in 2008.

Diablo’s operating license requires that it be able to shut down safely following a major quake. But the petition argues that nearby faults are capable of much stronger shaking than Diablo’s design anticipated, rendering the license invalid.

“PG&E cannot run this reactor without a valid license, and they don’t have one,” said Damon Moglen, senior strategic adviser for Friends of the Earth. “There is nobody in this country, PG&E included, who would want to build a reactor today at Diablo Canyon. It would never pass muster.”

It mirrors the strategy the environmental group used to help force the closure of the San Onofre nuclear plant in San Diego County…….Friends of Earth now wants PG&E to seek a license amendment to continue running Diablo.

“They now know that the ground motion of these faults is greater than is contained in their license,” Moglen said. “I think the argument here is extremely straightforward.”

The move follows the disclosure of a 2013 document written by a former NRC inspector stationed at the plant. The inspector, Michael Peck, recommended shutting down Diablo until the commission determined whether the plant’s equipment could survive higher seismic stress levels.

“Continued reactor operation outside the bounds of the NRC approved safety analyses challenges the presumption of nuclear safety,” Peck wrote.

Peck’s opinion was revealed by the Associated Press on Monday, touching off a fresh round of criticism of the plant. Sen. Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, promised a public hearing into the matter………http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Petition-seeks-closure-of-Diablo-Canyon-nuclear-5714455.php

August 29, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | opposition to nuclear, USA