WHISTLEBLOWERS SUGGEST REASON FOR PROBLEM WITH TUBES AT SAN ONOFRE

Photo courtesy of Nuclear Street Portal

There is no official word yet, but the rumor from insiders at the plant is that the problem with the new generators may be very time consuming and difficult to resolve. It seems that the tubes have been configured in such a way as to have unintentionally created a situation where water passes through the tubes at such a high velocity that it causes the kind of wear they would expect to see after 20 to 30 years of service. If true, ratepayers could be on the hook for huge repair and replacement costs in order to extend the life of the plant beyond its intended lifespan, and even then, reliability will be in question.

It was also stated that ruptured tubes under high pressure can result in a chain reaction causing adjacent tubes to rupture if not stopped in time, with potentially catastrophic results.

Another point stressed was that standard procedures were violated if they discovered the problem in Unit 2's tubes when it was being serviced before the leak occurred in Unit 3. When a failure of any critical system is discovered it is the responsibility of the plant operator to make the conservative decision to shutdown and inspect any "like components". In this case it appears that this was not done for the exact duplicate components in Unit 3.

I also got word that many workers inside the plant are secretively supportive of decommissioning and wish us on the outside success in doing what they can only hope for while clinging to their jobs. To that I say thanks for the encouragement, and thanks for doing your best to keep us all safe, but it is time for them to do a little soul searching. There is too much at stake to be thinking of your own security. Now is the time to let your concerns be known publicly.