Subject: Comparing Japan's ill-fated Mihama NPP with San Onofre's NPPs

August 11th, 2004
North County Times

To The Editor:

Regarding the recent Back Page articles about the deadly reactor accident in Japan, local citizens should be informed of the fact that both San Onofre's operating reactors in San Clemente, California and the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture in Japan, which suffered an explosive steam leak two days ago, are all Pressurized Water Reactors between two and three decades old.

They all are probably made with substantially similar welding materials, pipe materials, pipe thicknesses, etc. etc..  They all probably suffer fairly similar rates of wear and tear, depending on how often they've been SCRAMed, what temperature they run at, what pressure they run at, how much time they've spent at operating temperature, and the quality of the metals and welds they are made with.

Have all parts of all pipes at San Onofre's two aging ("geriatric") reactors been inspected with Ultra-Sound, including all secondary loops?  I sincerely doubt it -- and I wouldn't trust the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or Southern California Edison to tell us, since it's a security issue (you can use a MUCH smaller charge to blow a hole in a thin-walled, old and embrittled, corroded pipe than in a thick, ductile new pipe).

San Onofre's reactors are slightly larger than the ill-fated Mihama NPP, and probably run hotter and under more pressure.  Therefore, they would age faster, all other things being equal.  The two operating San Onofre reactors are just a few years younger than the Mihama NPP.   That might mean we have a few years before a similar accident -- or worse -- is inevitable here.  But that's just guesswork at this point.  It is reasonable to assume we haven't got any time at all.

How much longer can we wait?  And why bother waiting at all, when cleaner energy solutions are abundant and ready to be tapped by modern technology?  In the short term, natural gas powered turbines (a remarkably clean energy source, all things considered) can replace ALL of San Onofre's energy output, safely and quickly. In fact, proven conservation efforts ALONE could do so!  So why -- dear God, why do we wait?

In one or two years, massive off-shore wind farms can be built, out of sight and unobtrusive, along with dozens of other energy solutions which have already proven themselves technologically, and only await public policy decisions that encourage government and private investment.

Just recently Southern California Edison workers snapped off a bolt on the earthquake restraints for the new and dangerous dry casks storage system, which wouldn't have happened if they understood the strengths of the materials they were working with (or perhaps, if they did not assume the bolts were as strong as designed).  (See NRC notification, below.)

California has been lucky so far, but luck -- good or bad -- ALWAYS changes eventually.  It's time to get smart about our energy choices, instead.

For additional urgent questions about San Onofre, please visit the following web site:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/onofre/index.htm

Sincerely,

Russell Hoffman
Concerned Citizen
Carlsbad CA

Additional items included in this email:
1) JAPAN TIMES: Japan to probe nuclear accident
2) BOLT FAILURE: Power Reactor Event Number: 40897; Facility: SAN ONOFRE


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JAPAN TIMES: Japan to probe nuclear accident:
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Japan to probe nuclear accident