Monday, October 22, 2012

[SDCPJ] Fwd: SAN ONOFRE: Hydrogen gas leak from crippled reactor exposes danger of restart

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 22, 2012


CONTACT: Damon Moglen, Friends of the Earth: (202) 222-0715
John Large, Large and Associates (London): +44 7971 08886

SAN ONOFRE: Hydrogen gas leak from crippled reactor exposes danger of restart

Friends of the Earth: Edison must immediately say if leak is radioactive

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 – A reactor at the crippled San Onofre nuclear power plant is leaking hydrogen gas into the environment, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Although it  is not yet known if the leaking gas is radioactive, Friends of Earth said the latest trouble at San Onofre is strong evidence that the plant is not safe to restart. 

According to an 
NRC bulletin issued Sunday, an unknown quantity of hydrogen gas is leaking from Reactor 2, which like Reactor 3 has been closed since a leak of radioactive steam in January and the discovery of severely damaged steam generators. The NRC did not say what caused the leak. 

"There are critical questions that Edison must answer immediately," said Damon Moglen, energy and climate director at Friends of the Earth. "Is the leaking hydrogen radioactive? And was the leak caused by heating up the plant's steam generators in advance preparation for restart? Edison keeps saying safety is its priority, but it's clear that the San Onofre reactors are not safe to operate."

Both the California Emergency Management Agency and San Diego Department of Environmental Health were notified of the leak Sunday morning.

Earlier this month, Edison filed a plan to restart Reactor 2 at 70 percent power and run it for five months to see whether it is safe to restart permanently. The NRC says it will take months to decide whether to allow restart.

This past weekend, Edison was conducting tests that include bringing the reactor to normal operating pressure and temperature, using offsite electrical power. The steam generators will be hot and pressurized. The leak is likely to persist for some days, as the only way to stop such a leak is to depressurize and lower the temperature of the reactor and its coolant system. This is a delicate operation that must follow rigid safety rules to avoid further damage to the reactors. 

"This has all the signs of a bungled and hurried preparation to bring San Onofre Unit 2 back to power," said John Large, a London-based nuclear consultant. "Depending on the extent of damage to the reactor this could be a further setback to Edison's plans for an early restart."

 

###


No comments:

The Hidden Enemy

Healing

Healing
Healing

Corruption

Corruption
Corruption in the Senate

Compassion

Compassion
Compassion

Raise the Minimum Wage

Raise the Minimum Wage

Capitolism

Capitolism

Hypocrits

Hypocrits

My New Book About Sudan

Ceasar's Messiah Movie Trailer

The Dark Side of Coffee Trade

Miko Peled "The General's Son" Exposes Israeli Lies

Are these Your Heros?

Are these Your Heros?

National shame

National shame

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Stephen Fry on Catholisism

Juanita Ayson on Accupuncture

Interview with Congressman Filner

Free Trade Enslaves Us All

Blog Archive

Farouk Al Nasser

Farouk Al Nasser
Farouk Al Nasser at NCCPJ

Victor Calle

Victor Calle
At NCCP April 2008

Gore Vidal and Floyd Morrow

Gore Vidal and Floyd Morrow
April Fundraiser in San Diego

Tanja and Cindy Sheehan

Tanja and Cindy Sheehan
Fund raiser for Cindy April 2008

CITN

CITN
The Citizens' Internet Television Network

CITRad

CITRad
The Citizens' Internet Radio Network

Save America

Save America
Save America

Fighting

Fighting
Fighting

Believe

Believe
Believe

We Are All One

We Are All One
We Are All One

Secular Humanism

Secular Humanism
Secular Humanism

Change the System

Change the System
Change the System

A Lie Does Not Become the Truth

A Lie Does Not Become the Truth
A lie does not become the truth

Coexist

Coexist
Coexist

Bankers

Bankers
Bankers

Fetus Rights

Fetus Rights
Fetus Rights

The Earth Was Created

The Earth Was Created
The Earth Was Created

Lessons

Lessons
Lessons