Scott Burnell of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) would have Malibu residents believing the only dangers Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant faces are from earthquakes.
But there are literally a thousand ways to melt down a reactor. A pipe could break; an operator could flip the wrong switch. (Yes, it’s that easy, or nearly so, and there’s nothing to stop him or her from melting the reactor down on purpose, for that matter.)
The potential scenarios for a catastrophic accident at Diablo Canyon go way beyond just an earthquake, but even for that, Burnell only said Diablo Canyon “can safely operate while additional analysis checks for possible safety enhancements.” In other words, they haven’t finished the research but, nevertheless, it can operate safely. Based on what? Burnell’s word.
Even if Diablo Canyon does not have a meltdown, it has two other factors that demand its immediate closure. First, it’s still producing nuclear waste, which California, America and the planet have no way to safely store. At Yucca Mountain, four-inch thick titanium drip shields were expected to have problems far too soon. Water seepage could cause criticality events, earthquakes could rip open the packaging exposing the contents … there were volcanoes nearby, transportation problems … it was a long list.
California’s infrastructure is in no shape for transporting nuclear waste, yet we keep making more.
But another good reason for closing is that California doesn’t need its electricity. Not only do we have an overcapacity sufficient to handle its permanent closure without fear of blackouts, but it gets in the way of solar implementation, which is booming in southern California thanks in part to SanO’s permanent, and most fortunate, closure in 2012. And no blackouts came from that, despite the assurances that its energy was also vital.
The NRC has never endorsed shutdown as a solution to anything. Not even for SanO; not for Indian Point; not for the 22 reactors in America, just like Fukushima. But Malibu residents can demand Diablo Canyon’s shutdown at the corporate (PG&E), State (Coastal Commission, Public Utilities Commission, Energy Commission, governor and elected officials) and Federal (NRC and DOE) level.
Ace Hoffman