Most of us associate earthquakes with California. But what happens when there's a shaker on the East Coast?
As Socal Nuke Plant Demolition Begins, Disaster May Be Looming (tags)
As the San Onofre nuke plant's demolition begins, watchdogs warn disaster may be looming.
Europe Leading Way in Nuclear Shutdowns (tags)
Germany, Sweden and Switzerland are leading the way in nuclear shutdowns.
California Has Its Faults (tags)
Two big earthquakes in California shook up the nuclear power infrastructure as well.
More nukes to shut down in the Chicago area (tags)
Cold weather, financial losses shutting more nukes.
How Will PG&E Vankruptcy Affect Nuke Plant Shutdown? (tags)
PG&E's bankrupcy filing will, among other things, affect the scheduled shutdown of its Diablo Canyon nuclear plant on Central California's coast. But how?
Nuke Plant Closures Increase (tags)
Two US nuke plants closed in 2018, and more will shut down in coming years.
Nuke Plants Cause Excess CancerDeaths When Running, Rates Decline When They Shut Down (tags)
A recent study showed that nuclear power plants cause excess cancer caused by their routine radioactive releases when operating. The rates decline after they shut down.
More Scandals Rock Southern California Nuke Plant San Onofre (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and abroad, and highlights the efforts of those working to create a nuclear free world. Here is our August 2018 report. More Scandals Rock San Onofre The eighth month of the year saw additional scandals erupt at Southern California's San Onofre nuclear plant, which has been shut down since 2013. Another potentially catastrophic accident occurred, a previously unknown whistleblower spoke out, and the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is sending a special inspection team to try to sort out this whole mess. San Onofre's majority owner Southern California Edison shut the plant down prematurely after a scandal involving corporate mismanagement that caused a radioactive leak, and environmentalists exposed the utility's rush to restart the plant at the expense of the public's health and safety. Since the permanent shutdown Edison has begun what's called decommissioning, meaning dismantlement and decontamination of the nuclear plant .A key task in this process is dealing with the nuclear waste left over . This is called spent nuclear fuel, stored in San Onofre's nuclear reactors as well as in pools where it must be constantly cooled or else there could be a serious accident, in the worst case leading to a meltdown. This highly radioactive waste remains lethal to all life for a very long time. The federal government was supposed to take responsibility for for the megatons of spent nuclear fuel (3.55 million tons in San Onofre's case) for the whole nation by 1980, but still hasn't . Edison chose to do the job by having the spent fuel removed from the plant and transferred to what is called dry storage, in canisters that are then buried on site for who knows how long. To carry out this task Edison hired Holtec International of Camden, New Jersey. Work began this past February, then stopped--but for only 10 days--after a cask lost a part while being lowered into the burial site in March. The burial site is only 100 feet from the Pacific Ocean, protected by just a 28 foot seawall. August Is the Cruellist Month--So Far On August 10th the San Diego Union Tribune reported on "an incident" during which another spent fuel cask had become stuck on August 4th while being maneuvered down to the bottom of the nuke dump. Specifically, the cask was wedged 18 feet above the bottom, and remained there for "45 minutes to an hour" according to the NRC. The next day, August 4th, a whistleblower revealed himself at a public meeting about San Onofre's decommissioning, the same U-T article reported. He identified himself as David Fritch, and said he was employed with the federal Occupational and Safety Administration (OSHA) and had been working at San Onofre for three months. Fritch said he attended the meeting "to see if any of Edison's reps would discuss the 8-3 incident," but when none did he decided to report that the canister in question "could have fallen 18 feet." In a followup Union Tribune report on August 24th Fritch alleged that only "about a quarter inch" wedge prevented the canister from falling before it was finally repositioned and safely lowered. In the earlier U-T report Fritch also said some workers with Holtec "are undertrained" and many experienced supervisors are often sent away and replaced by new supervisors "who don't understand it as well." The 8-24 Union Tribune report said an NRC inspection team "will send a team to evaluate the incident, will come on September 10 and spend a week." The incident "confirms every fear we've had about what's going on at San Onofre and what measurges they're taking to ensure the public's safety," Charles Langley of theSan Diego Public Watchdogs told the the Union Tribune on August 10. He also expressed concerns that the spent fuel casks are not thick enough and could crack. In light of all the above, Edison put the cask transfer operations "on pause." Source: San Diego Union Tribune, uniontribune.com Holtec's Master Plan Given Holtec's troublesome performance at San Onofre, you might think the company would be curtailing its activities in other places. Unfortunately this is not the case. Earlier this year Nuclear Shutdown News detailed its plan to build a nuke dump in Arizona for the nation's spent fuel still sitting around the increasing number of shutting down and already closed nuclear plants. An application to do so has been filed with the NRC. The most likely means of transporting the high level radioactive waste would likely be by rail. But Holtec has also been removing spent fuel from shutdown nukes and storing it on site, most recently at Vermont Yankee, which closed in 2014. Holtec appears to be privatizing the job of dealing with the nuke industry's high level radioactive waste and turning it into its own growth industry , after the job was abdicated by the federal government since 1980, as noted above. On August 1 Utility Drive reported a new Holtec scheme to turn a profit this way in its article "Holtec to buy three nuclear plants, greatly accelerate decommissioning." The three nuclear plants, all shutting down in the near future, are Oyster Creek in New Jersey, Pilgrim in Massachusetts, and Palisades in Michigan. Holtec and its partner Comprehensive Decommissioning International, said they would dismantle and decontaminate the three nuke plants in eight years, though they have up to 60 years to do so. The same plan applies to Vermont Yankee. In that state the Conservation Law Foundation warned, "In the rush to secure a possible--and by no means certain--quick cleanup of the site, the settlement excludes reasonable protection for Vermont communities. The Utility Drive report did not explain why Holtec is buying the three nukes, or for how much, But a report by WBUR radio in Boston on August 2 said that in the Pilgrim deal "Holtec will get $1 billion paid by Massachusetts ratepayers into a decommissioning trust fund." Sources: Utility Drive, utility drive.com; WBUR, wbur.org. During August more Scandals Rocked the Southern California nuclear plant San Onofre, resulting in an upcoming federal investigation.
Insane Company Wants To Send Nuke Plant Waste To New Mexico (tags)
A radioactive waste company, Holtec, wants to send all the nation's high level radwaste, stuff like plutonium, from shut down nuclear plants, to New Mexico.
Nuclear Shutdown News March 2018 (tags)
The San Onofre nuclear power plant in SoCal shut down in 2012. But it's still causing a lot of trouble.
Last of California's nuclear power plants is on its way out (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working for a nuclear free future. Here is out January 2018 report:
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free world. Here is our December 2017 report: Nuclear Shutdown News December 2017
Nuclear Shutdown News November 2017 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working for a nuclear free world. Here is our November 2017 report:
Nuclear Shutdown Nres September 2017 Part 2 (tags)
The second part of Nuclear Shutdown News for September 2017.
Nuclear Shutdown News September 2017 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and abroad and highlights the efforts of those who are working for a nuclear free world. Here is our September 217 report.
nuclear Shutdown News 8-17 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News August 2017
Nuclear Shutdown News June 2017 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear industry, in the US and abroad, and highlights the efforts of those working to create a nuclear free world. Here is our July 2017 report:
Nuclear Shutdown News June 2017 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline of the nuclear industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those working for a nuclear free world. Here is our June 2017 report:
Nuclear Shutdown News May 2017 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear industry in the US and abroad, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free world. Here is our May 2017 report:
Nuclear Shutdown News: April 2017 (tags)
Nuke Shutdown News 3/17 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear industry in the US and abroad, and highlights the efforts of those working to create a nuclear free world. Here's our March 2017 report:
Nuclear Shutdown News February 2017 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and abroad, and highlights the efforts of those who are working for a nuclear free world. Here is out February 2017 report:
Nuclear Shutdown News January 2017 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry, in the US and abroad, and highlights the efforts of those who're working to create a nuclear free world. Here is our January 2017 report
Nuclear Shutdown News December 2016 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those working to create a nuclear free world. Here is our December 2016 report: Nuclear Shutdown News December 2016
Nuclear Shutdown News October 2016 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working for a nuclear free world. What follows is our October edition, which is dedicated to Judy Friedman of Connecticut’s Peoples Action for Clean Energy (PACE)! Nuclear Shutdown New
Nuclear Shutdown News September 2016 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and abroad, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free world. Here is our September 2016 edition:
Nuclear Shudown News Aufust 2016 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free future. Here is our August 2016 edition:
Nuclear Shutdown News July 2016 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free future. Here is out June 2016 report.
Nuclear Shutdown News June 2016 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry at home and abroad, and highlights the efforts of those who are fighting to create a nuclear free future, Here is our June 2016 edition.
Nuclear Shutdown News May 2016 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the US nuclear power industry at home and abroad, and highlights the efforts of those who are fighting to create a nuclear free future. Here is our May issue:
Thirty Years after the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, the disaster continues.
Is Jerry Brown Involved in the San Onofre Nuclear Plant Shutdown Scandal? (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the US nuclear power industry in this country and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free world.
Nuclear Shutdown News January 2016 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the US nuclear power industry, and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free future.
Nuclear Shutdown News, November 2015 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the US and global nuclear industry. In addition, it highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free world. Here's our November report.
Nuclear Shutdown News October2015 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline of the nuclear power industry in the US and beyond, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free future.
Nuclear Shutdown News September 2015 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry, both in the US and worldwide, and highlights the efforts of those who are working to create a nuclear free future.
NUCLEAR SHUTDOWN NEWS August 2015 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the US nuclear industry, and highlights the efforts of those who are working for a nuclear free world.
NUCLEAR SHUTDOWN NEWS JULY 2015 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and all of the US nuclear industry, and spotlights those who are working for a nuke free future.
NUCLEAR SHUTDOWN NEWS JUNE 2015 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the US nuclear industry monthly.
NUCLEAR SHUTDOWN NEWS—APRIL 2015 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the continuing decline of the US nuclear power industry, and highlights the efforts of those who are creating a better energy future. Here’s the April edition:
NUCLEAR SHUTDOWN NEWS, MARCH EDITION (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the continuing decline of the US nuclear industry, and highlights efforts of those who are democratically working to bring about a renewable energy future. As nuclear plants in the US are approaching or surpassing their 40 year operating life, their ability to operate properly and safely lessens, creating more and more problems across the nation.
Nuclear Shutdown News February 2015 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the continuing decline of the US nuclear industry, and the people working for better energy alternatives.
NUCLEAR SHUTDOWN NEWS NOVEMBER 2014 (tags)
What US nuclear plants have been shutting down and why? And did you know that nuke plants may release the most radiation when they are purposely shut down?