Reliable Nuclear Power?

One from the OC Register for today.

Nuclear Power on the Rise - Orange County Register - 9 May 07

"Refueling at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station – poetically referred to as "SONGS" – happens every 20 months or so. It's an intense, high-pressure exercise, scripted in excruciating detail. It occupies hundreds of workers for nearly two months – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It does not always go according to plan."

"Finally, the crane inserts the new fuel into the core, under the watchful eyes of the engineers. The pool is drained. The reactor head is bolted back into place. And it's time to slowly power up again. It can be a tense time. Usually everything goes smoothly. But not always.

On Feb. 3, 2001, as one of the reactors was reaching 40 percent power, an alarm horn blared. A 20-year-old circuit breaker – designed to last 40 years – failed to close, creating a 4000-volt arc and fire that cut power to coolant control systems, drowned emergency switching valves and shut down emergency oil pumps, destroying the generator shaft. It affected the turbine generators – not the nuclear systems – but cost Southern California Edison more than $100 million, and shut down the reactor for months at the height of California's energy crisis."

Reliable Nuclear Power?

One from the OC Register for today.

Nuclear Power on the Rise - Orange County Register - 9 May 07

"Refueling at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station – poetically referred to as "SONGS" – happens every 20 months or so. It's an intense, high-pressure exercise, scripted in excruciating detail. It occupies hundreds of workers for nearly two months – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It does not always go according to plan."

"Finally, the crane inserts the new fuel into the core, under the watchful eyes of the engineers. The pool is drained. The reactor head is bolted back into place. And it's time to slowly power up again. It can be a tense time. Usually everything goes smoothly. But not always.

On Feb. 3, 2001, as one of the reactors was reaching 40 percent power, an alarm horn blared. A 20-year-old circuit breaker – designed to last 40 years – failed to close, creating a 4000-volt arc and fire that cut power to coolant control systems, drowned emergency switching valves and shut down emergency oil pumps, destroying the generator shaft. It affected the turbine generators – not the nuclear systems – but cost Southern California Edison more than $100 million, and shut down the reactor for months at the height of California's energy crisis."