Group items tagged

"Tonight in Dana Point, California, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be holding its annual hearing on the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station's recent performance, which has been lousy. They'll give San Onofre an overall "B" where it should be getting a failing grade. San Onofre should never have opened, and should be closed for good immediately. For safety. For economics. Forever. At the hearing, the public will be allowed to speak for two, maybe three minutes each. Nothing said by the public will be considered. Nothing will be under oath. Nothing will be officially recorded. Only a few reporters will show up, who will dutifully interview the spokespeople for San Onofre and the NRC, and perhaps one or two of the most staid activists, and then they'll report whatever platitudes are said as if they are facts. The plant is safe, they'll say."

"A local environmental group is rallying its members and supporters to appear at tonight's San Clemente City Council meeting to question whether it is safe to restart the shut-down Unit 2 reactor at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The City Council has scheduled an appearance by Greg Warwick, senior Nuclear Regulatory Commission resident inspector at San Onofre, to report on safety at the power plant just south of town. Southern California Edison shut off the reactor in September for refueling and to swap out two aging 640-ton steam generators. On Jan. 19, Gary Headrick, founder of San Clemente Green, asked for the city's support in delaying reactivation of Unit 2 until there is assurance it is safe. He cited reports about concerns of some employees at the plant, air pockets in some welds on one of the new steam generators and NRC investigations into safety practices at San Onofre."

"An internal memo from Southern California Edison, leaked to a San Clemente activist group, indicates that fear of retaliation still exists at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, despite repeated public statements calling for openness by top plant leadership. The memo, released by the environmental group San Clemente Green, is dated Feb. 2 and appears to have been written by an Edison employee in advance of a meeting between Southern California Edison executives and Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors who conducted an inspection at San Onofre in November. Though the NRC eventually releases the results of its inspections, it has not yet done so for the one that occurred in November 2009. The memo states that inspectors, meeting in focus groups with plant employees, found that 25 percent of those surveyed said they fear retaliation from plant management for raising safety concerns to federal regulators. The memo also indicates that, in 2008, reports from San Onofre employees to the NRC were six times higher than the industry median."

Southern California Edison declared an unusual event at the 1,080-megawatt Unit 3 at San Onofre nuclear power station in California due to both emergency diesel generators being inoperable, the company told the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a report. Operators started to shut the unit but returned it to nearly full power after fixing the problem. The unit started at full power on Dec. 12 and was cut to at least 90 percent. It was back to 99 percent power early Monday. An unusual event is the lowest of the NRC's four emergency classifications. San Onofre is located in San Clemente in San Diego County about 60 miles (96 km) north of San Diego.

Southern California Edison declared an unusual event at the 1,080-megawatt Unit 3 at San Onofre nuclear power station in California due to both emergency diesel generators being inoperable, the company told the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a report. Operators started to shut the unit but returned it to nearly full power after fixing the problem. The unit started at full power on Dec. 12 and was cut to at least 90 percent. It was back to 99 percent power early Monday. An unusual event is the lowest of the NRC's four emergency classifications. San Onofre is located in San Clemente in San Diego County about 60 miles (96 km) north of San Diego.

24 reasons to shut San Onofre Nuclear (Waste) Generating Station Today 1) Diablo Canyon's operators have stated that they feel terrorists would be much more likely to strike San Onofre, and that is one of the factors making them feel safe from terrorism. If there's any truth to their opinion, the correct response is surely to shut San Onofre!

The San Onofre nuclear power plant has desperately tried to meet the standards of federal regulators in the past year, yet has still been plagued with management problems as well other problems, the voiceofsandiego.org reported. Southern California Edison, the utility that runs San Onofre, did admit performance weaknesses but assured residents that San Onofre was operated "in a safe and reliable manner."

"Nuclear power plant workers concerned about how things are being done - but who don't feel comfortable reporting that information to their bosses - can do an end run around management, and report their concerns directly to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC calls this its "Allegation Program," and it keeps track of the number of reports made. Worried employees at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station are, er, "winning" - they contacted the NRC more often than their colleagues at any other nuclear power plant in the nation over the past five years, NRC statistics show. Between 2006 and 2010, there were 95 end-runs around management at SONGS, compared to 47 at California's only other nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon. There were only five such reports from the Calvert Cliffs plants in Maryland over the same period. (See reactor-by-reactor stats here: Reactor allegations.)"

"Officials say poor welding work and pin-hole leaks are keeping one of the San Onofre's nuclear reactors from returning to service. That's not the only safety issue the plant has recently faced. Plant officials told our media partner The North County Times that the reactor's leak problems have now been repaired. Unfortunately, they have delayed the reactor from returning to service by about three weeks. And in an unrelated incident, a report surfaced this week that plant officials waited more than two weeks before reporting a minor safety issue to federal regulators. "

Veteran Managers at SONGS Nuclear Power Plant near San Clemente Say Southern California Edison Retaliated When They Reported Nuclear Safety Concerns SAN ONOFRE, Calif., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In whistleblower complaints filed this week with the U.S. Department of Labor, two managers at Southern California Edison's San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) say the company violated federal law when it retaliated against them for raising nuclear safety concerns. Rick Busnardo and Mike Mason have worked at SONGS for 25 and 29 years respectively, and together manage the fabrication shop that builds steel casks for the long-term storage of the plant's spent fuel rods. The integrity of the casks is critical because the spent fuel remains highly radioactive for hundreds of years. Busnardo and Mason allege that trouble began when they reported a "willful violation" of nuclear-safety standards to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in October 2008, after learning that a fabricator in their shop had performed welding operations that fell short of the plants' quality-assurance specifications. Busnardo and Mason believe their report angered Edison management because the NRC had cited the SONGS plant for a high level of such willful violations several months earlier, and the company wanted to avoid further scrutiny.

Veteran Managers at SONGS Nuclear Power Plant near San Clemente Say Southern California Edison Retaliated When They Reported Nuclear Safety Concerns SAN ONOFRE, Calif., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In whistleblower complaints filed this week with the U.S. Department of Labor, two managers at Southern California Edison's San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) say the company violated federal law when it retaliated against them for raising nuclear safety concerns. Rick Busnardo and Mike Mason have worked at SONGS for 25 and 29 years respectively, and together manage the fabrication shop that builds steel casks for the long-term storage of the plant's spent fuel rods. The integrity of the casks is critical because the spent fuel remains highly radioactive for hundreds of years. Busnardo and Mason allege that trouble began when they reported a "willful violation" of nuclear-safety standards to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in October 2008, after learning that a fabricator in their shop had performed welding operations that fell short of the plants' quality-assurance specifications. Busnardo and Mason believe their report angered Edison management because the NRC had cited the SONGS plant for a high level of such willful violations several months earlier, and the company wanted to avoid further scrutiny.

Southern California Edison Company; San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 3, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an exemption from Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 74, Section 74.19(c), for Facility Operating License No. NPF-15, issued to Southern California Edison Company (SCE, the licensee), for operation of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), Unit 3, located in San Diego County, California. Therefore, as required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC is issuing this environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact.

Increased scrutiny for San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station after regulators say improvements coming too slowly Operators of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station still have not made enough progress addressing issues in the plant's operation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission charges, more than a year after revelations that a worker falsified records to hide that he'd skipped hourly fire patrols, and six months after an announcement that a battery on a backup generator had been inoperable for years. In a March 4 letter to the plant's primary owner, Southern California Edison, the NRC says San Onofre still suffers from an inability to understand and address the underlying causes of problems, and from human-performance issues. "We've not been happy with the progress they've been making in addressing the issues we've identified," NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said. He added none of the issues are directly related to safety at the plant, and that the NRC plans to step up oversight and inspections until the issues are corrected.

"Employees at the San Onofre nuclear plant made 10 times more safety complaints in 2009 than the mid-range level for the industry, according to a leaked management memo posted online by a local environmental group. The same memo said a quarter of the employees fear retaliation from management if they call attention to safety problems. The number of complaints made by employees does not necessarily correspond to actual safety problems. And, while the San Onofre plant remains under scrutiny by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a variety of procedural and personnel issues, the agency has repeatedly said the plant is being operated safely."

"In a new report card issued to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, federal regulators once again criticize the seaside power plant for failing to make sure that workers meticulously follow procedures designed to head off safety problems. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission released on Friday its latest annual assessment of the plant. Overall, the assessment says that San Onofre is operated in a way that preserves public health and safety, but it also notes that ongoing flaws in worker performance remain. The commission will brief the public on the assessment during a meeting March 24 at the Dana Point Doubletree Hotel."

One of the latest reports regarding San Diego's Nuclear reactor comes from an article from Paul Sisson psission@nctimes.com and I quote "Inspectors in Japan have detected 'weld defects' inside two massive steam generators being built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for installation at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS)". A spokesperson for the plant owners Southern California Edison (SCE) said "similar defects have not been found in two similar generators already delivered to San Onofre and scheduled for installation inside its Unit 2 containment dome this fall. The deficiency, which was corrected, was caused by a manufacturing process that was not used on the Unit 2 generators. He went on to say DEFECTS will not delay the cutting of the concrete domes and installation of the generators, scheduled for fall 2010."

San Onofre nuclear plant managers are scrambling to avoid stepped-up oversight from regulators and to resolve worker safety and operational problems that have put the facility's industry ratings significantly below its peers. The twin-reactor facility ranks among the bottom 25% in overall performance when measured against the nation's other nuclear reactors, according to e-mailed newsletters distributed to plant employees.

Inspectors in Japan have detected "weld defects" inside two massive steam generators being built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for installation at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Gil Alexander, a spokesman for plant owner Southern California Edison, said in a statement Wednesday that similar defects have not been found in two similar generators already delivered to San Onofre and scheduled for installation inside its Unit 2 containment dome this fall. "The deficiency, which is being corrected, was caused by a manufacturing process that was not used on the Unit 2 steam generators," Alexander said.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with Southern California Edison Co. officials on Sept. 23 to discuss the status of performance improvements and other issues at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. SCE operates the plant, located near San Clemente, Calif. The meeting, which will be open to public observation, will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn San Clemente Resort, 111 S. De La Estrella, San Clemente.

KPFA Weekend News Anchor Anthony Fest: California has two operating nuclear power plants, San Onofre in Orange County, and PG&E's Diablo Canyon Plant in San Luis Obispo County, on the Central Coast.   Both are on the coastline and both are built near earthquake faults.  State Senator Alex Padilla has called for a special hearing at the State capitol on April 14 to examine the risks the two aging plants might pose.  KPFA's Ann Garrison has the story. PG&E's Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant on the California Coast KPFA/Ann Garrison: For the past five years the San Luis Obispo-based Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility has been urging California legislators and oversight agencies to require peer reviewed seismic studies to measure the risk of earthquake damage to Pacific Gas and Electric's (PG&E's) nuclear power plant at Diablo Canyon and Southern California Edison's plant at San Onofre. The California Energy Commission has requested that the California Public Utilities Commission require PG&E do the latest, advanced 3-D studies on both old and new earthquake faults beneath Diablo Canyon before granting any ratepayer funding for its license renewal applications, but PG&E has opposed and fought the requirement to do the studies, and the CPUC has failed to act. Rochelle Becker, Executive Director of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, says that Japan's worsening nuclear catastrophe could have been California's, and that Californians should be able to insist that the studies be done now.

"New nuclear reactor designs on the horizon have won the favor of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but don't expect to see them in Southern California anytime soon. Nuclear scientists and engineers gathered for a conference in San Diego earlier this month to talk about advances in the field. Although the new designs are billed as safer and more efficient, it is unlikely that Southern California Edison will spend the billions necessary to upgrade the two aging reactors at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which sits on the coast about 18 miles north of Oceanside, observers and officials said last week. Those reactors started operating in 1982 and are licensed to continue until 2022."

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station will receive additional oversight from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a result of a "white" inspection finding related to problems with an emergency battery used for supplying power to plant safety systems. The plant, operated by Southern California Edison Co., is located near San Clemente, Ca. NRC inspectors found that the battery used to supply power to plant safety systems under some accident conditions, was inoperable between 2004 and 2008 because of loose electrical connections caused by inadequate maintenance instructions. The problem was discovered on March 25 during testing, prompting the NRC to conduct a special inspection. "The problem stemmed from inadequate maintenance procedures," said Region IV Administrator Elmo E. Collins. "The problem was promptly corrected, but is troubling because the condition persisted for so long."