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Union of Concerned Scientists
Director of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists, he worked as a nuclear engineer for 17 years
PROFILE
Dave Lochbaum
Guest
FROM Dave Lochbaum
Which Way, L.A.?
After San Onofre, What's Next? San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has two nuclear reactors under those big domes you see when you drive south of San Clemente on Interstate 5. Now that the power plant has been shut down , Southern California Edison needs new sources for one-fifth of Southern California's electrical power. It also has to get rid of the plant itself, including components that will be highly radioactive for a very long time.
Which Way, L.A.?
San Onofre: the Nuclear Plant in LA's Backyard Southern California Edison's website calls the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station 's two reactors the region's "largest and most reliable sources of electricity." Not any more. Since January, both reactors have been shut down because of unexpected wear on thousands of tubes carrying water that transfers heat from the nuclear cores to generate power. Restoration of full power won't happen soon, if at all. But Edison wants the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to let it fire up one reactor to 70 percent of capacity for five months and then stop for an inspection. With some 8.4 million people living within a 50-mile radius of San Onofre, that's raised a storm of protest. Edison plans to answer questions tonight at a public meeting in Dana Point.
Which Way, L.A.?
How Safe Are America's Aging Nuclear Power Plants? America's nuclear power plants are aging. The anticipated lifetime originally was about 40 years, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is allowing them to be re-licensed for 20 more. Now a year-long investigation by the Associated Press reports that the NRC works with the industry to weaken safety standards, or fail to enforce them, in order to keep the plants running. Accidents at nuclear plants may be extremely rare, but when they happen, they're devastating. Are regulators in the US doing all that it takes to prevent another Fukushima-type incident from happening here?
To the Point
How Safe Are America's Aging Nuclear Power Plants? The ongoing disaster at Fukushima has focused attention on the safety of nuclear power plants in the United States. Could a similar accident happen here? The nuclear industry says there's only been one "safety-significant" incident since 2001, and that was nine years ago. But the nuclear plants are aging. The anticipated lifetime originally was about 40 years, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is allowing them to be re-licensed for 20 more. Now a year-long investigation by the Associated Press reports that the NRC works with the industry to weaken safety standards, or fail to enforce them, in order to keep the plants running. The probability of a nuclear accident is very low, but the consequences can be catastrophic. Have the industry and its regulators become complacent?
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