[BREAKING:] State PUC to Investigate San Onofre Nuclear Plant Woes

By Matt Coker Thu., Oct. 25 2012 at 12:35 PM

The California Public Utilities Commission, meeting at Irvine City Hall this morning, voted unanimously to investigate problems at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The results of that probe may effect the five-member panel's decision on whether Southern California Edison ratepayers should pick up the tab for losses suffered from the plant's nearly yearlong closure.

See also:

San Onofre Nuclear Plant Restart Proposed
It's Officially a Bummer Summer for San Onofre Nuclear Plant
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Report Blames Computer-Model Errors for Woes

Edison was seeking the state PUC's blessing on a plan to restart one of two closed reactors and see how it runs not at full power, so it can be determined if problems associated with unusual tube wear in steam generators have been resolved. Non-lethal amounts of radiation entered the atmosphere along with the steam, according to authorities.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission must also sign off on the Edison strategy, although the NRC is being heavily lobbied by local residents, city officials and environmental groups to keep the plant closed permanently. The NRC recently announced it has launched an investigation into cancer risks near SONGS.

In other recent related news, a hydrogen leak was detected there, although Edison says nothing radioactive entered the atmosphere--perhaps the first time in history people close by felt relieved by a hydrogen leak.

Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!

Tags:

California Public Utilities Commission, Irvine City Hall, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, SONGS, Southern California Edison

We Recommend

briansays

prior to being appointed the head of the state PUC i believe its chairman was president of san diego gas & electric

Karen

Environmentalists, Tea Partiers and Libertarians are allies on Nuclear Welfare...Nuclear radiation gives you cancer from without. Genetically modified food gives you cancer from within.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/apr/13/nuclear-industry-us-welfare

After 60 years, this industry should not require continued and massive corporate welfare. It is time for the nuclear power industry to stand on its own two feet. Nuclear welfare started with research and development. According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, since 1948 the federal government has spent more than $95bn (in 2011 dollars) on nuclear energy research and development (R&D). That is more than four times the amount spent on solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biofuels, and hydropower combined.

But federal R&D was not enough; the industry also wanted federal liability insurance too, which it got back in 1957 with the Price-Anderson Act. This federal liability insurance programme for nuclear plants was meant to be temporary, but Congress repeatedly extended it, most recently through 2025. Price-Anderson puts taxpayers on the hook for losses that exceed $12. 6bn if there is a nuclear plant disaster.

When government estimates show the cost for such a disaster could reach $720bn in property damage alone, that's one sweetheart deal for the nuclear industry!

www.geneticroulettemovie.com

DaxDax

@Karen Karen, do you mean those three groups are allies against nuclear welfare? I think that is what you meant--makes more sense--but didn't want to assume.