OC Politics Blog | Category Archives: Nuclear Power

Update on the nuclear waste at San Onofre

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Editor Posted in Energy, Nuclear Power, Orange County Leave a comment

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

NRC Waste Confidence Meeting

Grand Pacific Resort, Carlsbad, CA Nov. 18, 2013

Notes prepared by: Roger Johnson, PhD

Several hundred people attended the 3 hour NRC public meeting held in Carlsbad on Nov. 18. The meeting was preceded by a press conference with reporters and TV crews. The NRC distributed a 472 page document entitled “Waste Confidence Generic Environmental Impact Statement” (GEIS) prepared by the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. This report is a draft, and the purpose of the meeting was to solicit public comment. In attendance were members of the staff of Senator Dianne Feinstein. No one attended from the office of Rep. Darrell Issa (San Onofre is located in his district). Continue reading→

Will San Onofre be a nuclear waste dump for the rest of the century?

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Editor Posted in Energy, Environmental, Nuclear Power, San Clemente 7 Comments

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

San Onofre: Nuclear Waste Dump for the Rest of this Century?

By: Roger Johnson

Many in South Orange County were startled a few days ago when they heard the ominous sirens of San Onofre wailing on and off for hours. The shrill 440 Hz tone was only a test, but it could have been a warning signal that there is invisible radioactivity in the area possibly requiring evacuation. Those who have heard this tone before dread the day when it might be for real. By the way, the 440 Hz frequency of the Edison sirens is the same tone musicians use to tune up their instruments. Musicians will recognize it as the familiar A above middle C, the tone that orchestras use to tune up to before a concert.

The orchestra metaphor is appropriate here because a lot of orchestration has been going on for weeks, most of it by Edison. The day before the emergency test, Edison ran full page ads in the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register (the second time they have done this) proclaiming that the failure of the Edison generators was entirely the fault of Mitsubishi, the Japanese company that built the generators with Edison design and supervision. The second part of the orchestrated Edison media blitz was that rate payers, not Edison stock holders, must pay for Edison mistakes to insure Edison profits. It was no coincidence that the Orange County Register chimed in and joined the Edison chorus by stating in an editorial that Edison must be guaranteed a profit (at public expense) no matter how bad their performance. Continue reading→

SCE blames steam generator manufacturer for problems at San Onofre

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Editor Posted in Energy, Nuclear Power, Orange County, Southern California Edison 1 Comment

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Southern California Edison

Media Contact: Maureen Brown, (626) 302-2255/Investor Relations: Scott Cunningham, (626) 302-2540

SCE Asks for Arbitration Against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries over Defective San Onofre Steam Generators

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Oct. 16, 2013 — Southern California Edison (SCE) today submitted to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) a Request for Arbitration which states claims against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems for the defective steam generators Mitsubishi designed and built for the San Onofre nuclear plant. Continue reading→

Symposium on closing SONGS and dealing with nuclear waste set for 10/19

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Editor Posted in Energy, Environmental, Events, Nuclear Power, Orange County, San Clemente Leave a comment

A Community Symposium on Decommissioning San Onofre and the Ongoing Dangers of Nuclear Waste is set for Saturday, October 19, 2013, from 1:30pm until 5:15pm, at the Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley, located at 1201 Puerta Del Sol, Suite 100, in San Clemente.

Three months ago, civic and environmental activists won a huge victory in shutting down the San Onofre nuclear plant near San Clemente, California. It may seem that all is now quiet in San Onofre land, but that is not the case. Yes, we are safer since the plant has been retired – but we are not safe. Continue reading→

The NRC slaps SCE’s wrist for almost destroying Southern California

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Editor Posted in Nuclear Power, Orange County, Southern California Edison Leave a comment

The NRC slaps SoCalEd’s wrist for almost destroying Southern California

By: Ace Hoffman

Today the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“protecting people and the environment” is their motto, not their MO) distributed a press release (shown below) which starts out: “The NRC has preliminarily determined that the inadequate design of the steam generators at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was a violation of low to moderate safety significance.”

Calling what happened at San Onofre — the steam generator problems that killed the dragon — “a violation of low to moderate significance” is the real crime. NRC is denying the possibility that “Fluid Elastic Instability” (a non-chaotic fluttering in unison of the dime-thin tubes inside the steam generators) could have caused multiple tube ruptures followed by excessive loss of coolant and a probable meltdown. With this “preliminary finding” one has to doubt the NRC really understands what happened at San Onofre in the first place. Or maybe they just like to coddle the industry. Continue reading→

CPUC aims to prevent utilities from billing us twice after loss of SONGS

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Editor Posted in California, CPUC, Energy, EPA, Nuclear Power, Orange County, Southern California Edison Leave a comment

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

California Public Utilities Commission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PRESS RELEASE
Docket #s: A.12-08-001, A.12-10-002

CPUC PROPOSALS DENY SCE AND SDG&E COST RECOVERY FOR SAN ONOFRE-RELATED POWER PURCHASES

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 23, 2013 – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today will issue two proposals for Commissioner consideration regarding the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station that would deny reimbursement to Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) for power purchase costs incurred due to the non-operation of San Onofre. Continue reading→