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Data submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Sept. 10 by Diablo Canyon nuclear plant owner Pacific Gas & Electric is said to confirm the safety of the plant during a 7.5 shaker. The data “demonstrate that the plant is designed to withstand the ground motions that would be produced by potential earthquakes from faults in the vicinity,” according to the utility. Geologists from the California Institute of Technology’s Earthquake Data Center think it is capable of withstanding between a 6.5 and 7.5 magnitude earthquake. In a related move, the NRC rejected an appeal to close Diablo. In a Sept. 9 memo to Mike Peck, former Diablo Canyon lead inspector at the commission, NRC executive director for operations Mark Satorius said he reviewed Peck’s opinion urging a plant shut down, but didn’t agree with the Peck’s conclusions on earthquake data. Peck is concerned that the potential for shaking is far higher than being considered. Satorius wrote that Peck “narrowly defined the licensing basis and approved methodology for seismic evaluations as being limited to the methodology associated with the [Double Design Earthquake] from the original license application.” There are two known faults near the plant. The Shoreline fault was only discovered in 2008. It is less than a mile from Diablo Canyon. Shoreline is thought capable of a 6.5 magnitude quake. The Hosgri fault is 2.5 miles from the plant. Geologists think it is capable of a 6.5 magnitude quake. The PG&E data note that the Shoreline fault is twice as long as previously estimated and capable of a 6.7 temblor. PG&E also notes the Hosgri is connected to the San Simeon fault and could cause a 7.3 earthquake, according to an analysis by Friends of the Earth. The filing “is a propaganda document,” said John Geesman, Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility attorney. He referred to the discrediting of Peck’s earlier analysis. Friends of the Earth is litigating the issue at the commission seeking to make public its staff review of earthquake data. Diablo Canyon “should not be allowed to operate for another day,” Damon Moglen, Friends of the Earth senior advisor stated. Earthquake data gathering has not been easy for PG&E. The data gathering became an infamous affair, not for its cost, but for potential harm. PG&E’s request to conduct high-energy sonic testing was denied by the California Coastal Commission in 2012 (Current, Nov. 16, 2012&#041;. At issue was the possible death or other harm to marine critters, as well as impacts to the local fishing industry at Morro Bay. This came after the California Public Utilities Commission and the State Lands Commission approved the testing. Environmentalists were split on the sonic testing. They want the nuclear plant to be as safe as possible, at the same time they don’t want to harm marine life in the process of fault data gathering. There’s also the cost of the earthquake testing. Sonic sounding near the plant was set to cost ratepayers $64 million. PG&E has been getting some, but not all of that, according to a utility spokesperson. Since then, the Office of Ratepayer Advocates requested a disallowance of all—or part—of that amount. The organization would not reveal how much or how little that may be, according to spokesperson Cheryl Cox. The earthquake information also is crucial to the utility’s quest for a 20-year license extension for the units. Awaiting the data, PG&E put its extension on hold in April 2011. PG&E has not re-requested a license extension at this time. “Any decision on whether or how to proceed with license renewal will wait until after we have the opportunity to consider and review comments on the report from the CPUC’s Independent Peer Review Panel,” stated utility spokesperson Blair Jones. “While the NRC does not require this information for license renewal since it addresses seismic safety matters under the current licenses, it will review our report as part of its ongoing seismic safety review required of all nuclear power plants.” The timing is close. The federal regulatory agency began its process for license extensions Aug. 26 as it complied with a federal court order to examine the environmental impacts of continuing to amass highly radioactive spent fuel at the reactors that have been relicensed. Of the nation’s 100 reactors, the agency has extended the licenses for 73 facilities.

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