Edison Plans to Permanently Close San Onofre Nuclear Reactor

[FBaggins]

Title should read that they're closing the plant... not a single reactor.

Edison International (EIX) plans to permanently close its San Onofre nuclear plant in California, shut since January 2012 by a leak of radioactive water, because regulators may take too long to decide whether it can restart.

Southern California Edison, the utility unit that owns and operates the two reactors, will record after-tax costs of $300 million to $425 million this quarter as a result of shutting the reactor, Rosemead, California-based Edison said today in a statement.

Four commercial nuclear-power units have been permanently closed in the U.S. this year, the highest ever annual total, according to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission data. A glut of shale-fed natural gas and government-subsidized wind has upended power market dynamics and squeezed margins, making costly repairs uneconomical for some nuclear operators.

“The continuing uncertainty about when or if SONGS might return to service was not good for our customers, our investors, or the need to plan for our region’s long-term electricity needs, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Edison Ted Craver said in the statement.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-07/edison-plans-to-permanently-close-san-onofre-nuclear-reactor-1-.html?cmpid=yhoo

[bananas]

1. Yay! Great news! It's on all the local morning news channels.

[RobertEarl]

3. This really is wonderful news

It shows us that the nukers are not totally devoid of a sense of reality. Well, some of them anyway.

It also shows the power of citizen activism.

Friday, June 7, 2013, a date to remember. The day SONGS begins it's 40 year death march. One down, many more to go.

[hunter]

2. I posted some thoughts in the LBN thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014502815

I suspect the fighting over the corpse will be ugly and I don't think this is a "win" for the natural environment.

The power is going to be replaced by natural gas plants. When the shale gas bubble bursts electricity costs are going to soar, increasing the pressure to import coal-fired electricity from out of state. Coal developers are constantly trying to drive high capacity transmission lines into California. (Wyoming wind? Yeah, sure, right, we believe you...)

Certain parties will also want to prove how expensive it is to decommission nuclear power plants. Greedy contractors and politicians will be happy to prove it. Money will flow.

People who own expensive beach front properties are smiling. The value of their properties just went up. Hail the developers!

Radioactive toxins from nuclear power plants are bad for the natural environment but people are worse.

[wtmusic]

5. Agree.

This is sad - a loss for the environment, and a big win for fossil fuels and developers.

I took a tour of SONGS a couple of years ago, and met some of the most conscientious, vigilant, and smart people you'll ever find in energy. People who understood nuclear's critical role in limiting climate change.

We're just fucked.

[kristopher]

4. San Onofre nuclear plant owners shut down plant amid calls for Justice Dept investigation

Released Letter Proves Ca Nuclear Operator Willfully Gambled with Public Safety

News release, no copyright issues:

San Onofre: Pressed by Calif. regulators, Edison forced to release another damning letter

Posted May. 29, 2013 / Posted by: Adam Russell


Friends of the Earth: More proof utility sought to mislead NRC

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Under pressure from the California Public Utility Commission, Southern California Edison has released to Friends of the Earth another suppressed and highly incriminating internal document, showing that the utility knew eight years ago of serious flaws in the design of replacement steam generators for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The letter directly contradicts written testimony Edison gave in January to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The 2005 letter from then-Edison Vice President Dwight Nunn was released Tuesday, after the state PUC sharply questioned why Edison had not provided it as part of the PUC’s investigation of failure of the San Onofre reactors, shut down since January 2012 after a leak of radioactive steam. The day before, Boxer released a 2004 letter from Nunn proving that Edison knew that the flawed generators were not “like-for-like” with the ones they replaced, but failed to reveal that to the NRC in order to expedite approval from the NRC.

“This new letter shows conclusively that in 2005 Edison was aware that its defective design could lead to vibration and cracking of steam generator tubes,” said Damon Moglen, Friends of the Earth’s climate and energy program director. “While Edison knew this could lead to what the earlier letter calls ‘a disastrous outcome,’ they didn’t fix the problem, they didn’t tell the NRC then and denied it again in testimony this year. This is a scandal of the highest order: Edison prioritized its construction schedule and profits and endangered the lives and livelihoods of millions of Southern Californians.”

In the June 16, 2005 letter, Nunn writes to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which manufactured the replacement steam generators to Edison’s specifications, about the “probability” that the design could cause the tubes to vibrate and crack. Despite later suggestions from a joint Mitsubishi/Edison design team to fix the problem prior to construction, the contractors rejected such changes because they would have triggered a lengthy NRC license amendment review, including public hearings. In January, in written testimony to the NRC in a case brought by Friends of the Earth, Edison claimed that the problem “was not known at the time.”

S. David Freeman, former head of the Tennessee Valley Authority and of several nuclear utilities, said Edison knew it was taking a risk.

“With these revelations, it’s clear that Edison was conducting an experiment all along,” said Freeman, senior advisor to Friends of the Earth. “They were operating reactors with equipment that they knew had major problems. That’s unforgivable.

“Edison gambled that additional safety measures were not needed when they gave the highest priority not to safety but speed of construction. Of course they didn't know for sure that the equipment would fail, but they did know that they were taking a risk and they lost on their gamble. Gambling with the safety of a nuclear plant is not acceptable and an egregious misuse of ratepayer’s money.”

The mounting revelations of Edison’s deception dash the utility’s request to restart San Onofre rector Unit 2 this summer, said Moglen. “The NRC must make sure these reactors are not restarted with this damaged equipment, and the PUC must make sure no ratepayer money is spent to operate, let alone restart, this failed plant,” he said.

After Senator Boxer released the 2004 letter yesterday, the California PUC issued a statement asking “whether Edison had a duty to disclose the letters earlier.” PUC Executive Director Paul Clanon said the Commission “need(s) to investigate whether Edison took unnecessary risks, or tried to evade regulatory oversight.“ Edison quickly released the 2005 letter, along with other suppressed internal documents (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) that may hold more revelations. Friends of the Earth is currently evaluating the remaining documents.

http://www.foe.org/news/news-releases/2013-05-pressed-by-calif-regulators-edison-releases-letter

Boxer says Edison lied; wants Justice Department to investigate San Onofre Nuclear Power Plan
Ben Bergman | May 28th, 2013, 5:46pm

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) is asking the Justice Department to investigate whether Southern California Edison (SCE) lied to regulators and the public about the San Onofre nuclear plant.

In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Senator Boxer did not hide her contempt towards Edison.

“What they’re saying is gobbledygook,” she said. “It’s embarrassing.”

The senator later added: “I don’t know what planet they’re living on,” she added....

http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/05/28/37459/boxer-says-edison-lied-wants-justice-department-to/