SR 02-26-2019 13F 13.F
February 26, 2019
Council Meeting: February 26, 2019 Santa Monica, California
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CITY CLERK’S OFFICE - MEMORANDUM
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk, Records & Elections Services
Department
Date: February 26, 2019
13.F Request of Councilmembers McKeown, Himmelrich and Morena that
Council direct staff to prepare for Mayor Davis’s signature a letter, in
keeping with the City’s existing policy against investment in nuclear
energy, and the Clean Power Alliance’s firm commitment against including
any nuclear power even in the non-renewably sourced electricity CPA
purchases, calling on Governor Newsom to secure the ongoing safety of
the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant by mandating complete and
comprehensive testing of unaddressed safety concerns, including
vulnerability to seismic activity, aging internal infrastructure, and improper
storage and disposal of nuclear waste, before PG&E is allowed to restart
the Diablo Canyon nuclear reactor after the current refueling outage
2/21/19, 8(08 PMDiablo Canyon Unit #1 Must Be Tested Before Refueling - LA Progressive
Page 1 of 5https://www.laprogressive.com/test-diablo-canyon/
Before
Diablo Canyon Unit #1 Must Be
Tested Before Refueling
Harvey Wasserman February 2, 2019
We ask that critical safety tests be done during the upcoming refueling
outage at Diablo Canyon Unit One, currently scheduled to start February 3,
before new fuel is loaded into the core.
This shutdown provides the perfect opportunity to examine the facility
without unduly halting operations. We do not ask that the reactor be
permanently closed – only that it be tested to prove it is safe to restart. The
proposed insertion of a new fuel rod assembly at Unit One is likely to cost
PG&E $30 million or more.
If tests prove the Unit unsafe, this expenditure will
waste millions to which, by law, creditors and
2/21/19, 8(08 PMDiablo Canyon Unit #1 Must Be Tested Before Refueling - LA Progressive
Page 2 of 5https://www.laprogressive.com/test-diablo-canyon/
Unit One is
reloaded
with
nuclear
fuel, the
key
evaluation
s must be
finished
and
subjected
to public
hearings.
catastrophe victims now have claim in bankruptcy
court. Before Unit One is reloaded with nuclear
fuel, the key evaluations must be finished and
subjected to public hearings.
The final restart decision must be made by the
state.
The state, CPUC, unions, local community and
some environmental groups recently made a deal
with PG&E that it would not seek license renewals
for Units One & Two in 2024-2025, thus
guaranteeing the plant would then shut. PG&E
agreed to retrain many of its workers, and admitted
that the power could be replaced with renewables.
Here are several key issues that arise with this
refueling outage:
EMBRITTLEMENT: In 2005 the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission warned that Diablo
Unit One was among the five most embrittled
reactors in the US. Because the internals of all
atomic reactors are subjected to
intense intense heat, pressure
and radiation, critical metals and
welds can lose their resiliency.
Should cold water be poured in
to contain a runaway reaction,
embrittled components can
shatter, leading to catastrophe.
2/21/19, 8(08 PMDiablo Canyon Unit #1 Must Be Tested Before Refueling - LA Progressive
Page 3 of 5https://www.laprogressive.com/test-diablo-canyon/
Sign our Petition Calling on Governor Newsom
and the PUC to Test Diablo Canyon for Safety.
The degree of embrittlement at
Unit One can be easily and
cheaply tested while it is down for refueling using “coupons” (bits of
metal inserted into key parts of the reactor for precisely this purpose) for
destructive analysis. Note that Unit One was built with an inordinate
amount of copper, which may make it more vulnerable than most to
embrittlement. The test results must be made public and subjected to a
public hearing.
COMPONENT CRACKING: All reactor pressure vessels and other key
components can develop cracks under the high temperatures, pressure
and radiation involved in a fission reaction. Unit One’s age makes it
imperative that ultra-sound devices be deployed to inspect the reactor’s
internals. Such tests can be done relatively easily and cheaply while the
reactor is shut. Again, the findings must be made public and subjected to
open hearings.
DEFERRED MAINTENANCE: Since perhaps as early as 2010, PG&E
has been deferring key repairs and component replacements on the
assumption that Diablo would close no later than its 2025 license
expiration. It’s imperative the state, bankruptcy court and public see
exactly what PG&E has not done and does not plan to do in the six years
remaining on its license.
WASTE MANAGEMENT: Cracking and mishandling of dry casks and
other issues at other nuclear sites, including San Onofre, make essential
a full evaluation of waste management issues at Diablo. In particular, it
appears PG&E plans to store Diablo’s extremely radioactive spent fuel
arrays in Holtec casks that are less than one inch thick. By contrast,
Germany stores its spent fuel assemblies in casks that are 19 inches
thick. This demands public scrutiny.
2/21/19, 8(08 PMDiablo Canyon Unit #1 Must Be Tested Before Refueling - LA Progressive
Page 4 of 5https://www.laprogressive.com/test-diablo-canyon/
SEISMIC VULNERABILITY: A dozen earthquake faults have been
discovered surrounding Diablo since Unit One was designed. NRC site
inspector Dr. Michael Peck, in residence at Diablo for five years, has
warned the reactors might not withstand a credible quake. Dr. Peck’s
initial memo was buried by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and he
was transferred to Tennessee. However, he has written publicly about his
concerns. Note that Diablo is half the distance from the San Andreas
fault as was Fukushima from the epicenter of the quake that destroyed it.
Dr. Peck must be publicly debriefed and the seismic issues at Diablo
subjected to an open hearing before Unit One is reloaded.
PG&E’S COMPETENCE: PG&E is entering bankruptcy while
implicated in eight deaths in San Bruno, unimaginable destruction in
northern California, and much more. The company’s financial and
managerial abilities to operate a large nuclear facility like Diablo are in
serious question. The imminent $50-100 million installation of a new
fuel rod assembly must be stopped, at least until there is proof Unit One
is safe, to protect the legitimate claims of the bankrupt utility’s
shareholders, creditors, and catastrophe victims.
The company must now depend on the state for massive legal and financial
assistance. In return, the state has every right and responsibility to take
charge of the safety challenges at Diablo, and to make the final decision as to
whether it is safe to re-start after the upcoming outage.
The above-mentioned issues do not relate to whether one supports or
opposes nuclear power. They simply address the mechanical ability of the
state’s largest power generator to operate safely.
USEFUL? At this point California is awash in electric power supply and
probably does not need Diablo’s capacity. Nor is it likely the electricity
2/21/19, 8(08 PMDiablo Canyon Unit #1 Must Be Tested Before Refueling - LA Progressive
Page 5 of 5https://www.laprogressive.com/test-diablo-canyon/
produced at Diablo can economically compete with the onrush of
renewables. In fact, PG&E has admitted all Diablo’s power can be
replaced with available renewables. Furthermore, because it cannot
easily shut and restart to meet fluctuating demand, Diablo’s presence on
the grid can be a burden, resulting in the shutdown of renewable
facilities from time to time.
Before Unit One is re-loaded with fuel, the state and bankruptcy court must
hold public hearings to evaluate whether there is any economic need re-start
Unit One.
We have written Governor Newsom with these concerns, and are contacting
other elected officials, the California Public Utilities Commission, state
commissions, the bankruptcy court and others.
The decision on loading new fuel into Diablo #1
must be made by the public and its representatives
in a way that best serves all of our long-term
interests. We are dedicated to making that happen.
Harvey Wasserman for PG&E Shareholders
for Diablo Safety (PSDS)
solartopia.org ; solartopia@gmail.com .#solartopia
February 5, 2019
Governor Newsom
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Governor Newsom,
I write to ask for your immediate attention and intervention to secure the ongoing safety of the
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Previously scheduled for decommissioning beginning in
2024, the plant now faces an uncertain future due to PG&E’s impending bankruptcy. The plant
faces a number of unaddressed safety concerns from vulnerability to seismic activity, to aging
infrastructure, to improper storage and disposal of spent nuclear waste, all documented by the
2008 California Energy Commission AB 1632 report.
Given the State’s interest in ensuring a fair and swift outcome from the utility’s bankruptcy, I ask
that you condition any further State assistance on the thorough testing of the Diablo Canyon
facility. I further ask that you make the results of those tests public, to ensure the adequate
valuation and understanding of this precarious asset.
I look forward to working together as California moves towards a safer and cleaner future.
Sincerely,
Ben Allen
Senator, 26th Senate District