Showdown at San Onofre

[unhappycamper]

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/harvey-wasserman/47467/showdown-at-san-onofre

Showdown at San Onofre
by Harvey Wasserman | January 7, 2013 - 8:36am

Two stricken California reactors may soon redefine a global movement aimed at eradicating nuclear power.

They sit in a seismic zone vulnerable to tsunamis. Faulty steam generators have forced them shut for nearly a year.

A powerful “No Nukes” movement wants them to stay that way. If they win, the shutdown of America’s 104 licensed reactors will seriously accelerate.

The story of San Onofre Units 2 & 3 is one of atomic idiocy. Perched on an ocean cliff between Los Angeles and San Diego, the reactors’ owners cut unconscionable corners in replacing their multi-million-dollar steam generators. According to Russell Hoffman, one of California’s leading experts on San Onofre, inferior metals and major design failures turned what was meant to be an upgrade into an utter fiasco.

[Control-Z]

1. I'd like to see a full shutdown of the

San Onofre Power Plant.

That I live less than 20 miles from it may have something to do with how I feel.

[FBaggins]

2. They are in no way "vulnerable to tsunamis"

There has never been a recorded tsunami of any significance anywhere near there... and the nearby faults are not of the type that cause tsunamis.

Of course... refering to Russell Hoffman as a "leading expert" makes clear enough that the author doesn't have a clue.

[PamW]

3. What do you expect from Wasserman? Accuracy????

FBaggins,

What do you expect from Wasserman? Accuracy????

Additionally, it wasn't the plant's owners that cut corners. If anything, it looks like the genesis of the problem lies with Mitsubishi's engineers. They are the ones that made the computer calculation errors that led to a design error.

Southern California Edison, the owner; wanted a "like for like" replacement that didn't require licensing adjustments.

That's not what Mitsubishi delivered.

But, hey; it's Wasserman. Why let the facts stand in the way of a good rant?

PamW

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. How would the power be replaced?

As Japan and Germany have shown us, you cannot pull the plug willy-nilly on major generation capacity.

I am all for turning down the nuclear plants as part of a transition to renewable sources, but it has to be done in an orderly manner that insures stability.The power has to be there for the populace and industry.

I remember the ConEd riots of 1977, even if others don't.