Groups Ask CPUC to Analyze Extending Diablo's Life

Environmental and nuclear watchdog organizations asked the California Public Utilities Commission to expand the scope of a planned environmental impact study for the steam generator replacement project at the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility. The groups contend that the environmental impact report (EIR) should analyze not only the impacts of the construction work, but also the effects of extending the plant?s life by a decade or more. "They legally have to look at it," said Rochelle Becker of San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace. "The function of this project is to extend the operating life" of the two Pacific Gas & Electric reactors, but the commission' notice of preparation for the EIR defines the replacement work as a "narrow construction project," wrote the groups in comments to the CPUC last month. "The commission appears intent on ramming this down the throats of ratepayers and the local community," said Carl Zichella, regional staff director for the Sierra Club, which joined San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, Public Citizen, Environment California, and Greenpeace in filing the comments. Replacing the steam generators, they said, will open the door for PG&E to seek 20-year license extensions for the two reactors, whose licenses now expire in 2021 and 2025, respectively. Instead, the groups want the commission's EIR to look at a full range of alternatives that would replace the plant's power with various combinations of renewable energy, conservation measures, and clean conventional plants. They also want the commission to analyze the potential seismic dangers of the continued operation of the facility. The commission is studying the comments on the proper scope of the EIR and expects to finish the analysis by September 2005, said Nicolas Procos, CPUC project manager. He pointed out that the commission is examining the cost of the project, including the cost of alternatives, in a separate ratemaking proceeding. However, the discussion of alternatives was eradicated from the proceeding at PG&E's request. The notice of preparation for the EIR said that under the "no project" alternative, the commission would examine a variety of power replacement scenarios, including construction of new generation and transmission facilities. "We looked at alternative energy and natural gas, and in the end this project saves a net of $1.2 billion," said PG&E spokesperson Jeff Lewis. In a comparative cost analysis, the company included not just the cost of steam generator replacement, but also projected operation and maintenance costs for the nuclear plant through its remaining license period, he said. "The steam generators are not the only component that's been heading south in the industry," so PG&E may face massive repairs not included in its analysis, including those for potential earthquake damage, said Jim Weil, director of the Aglet Consumer Alliance. In a separate proceeding slated for December 8, the California Coastal Commission is expected to approve conditions developed in response to an appeal of a San Luis Obispo County construction permit for a new dry-cask spent-fuel storage facility at Diablo Canyon. Mothers for Peace asked the commission to evaluate whether the permit was consistent with the coastal plan and to examine the seismic safety of the new facility. "We looked at seismic safety and local erosion only as they relate to putting a large structure at that site," said Tom Luster, commission environmental analyst. Federal law preempts the state agency from addressing the nuclear hazards at a reactor, he said. Becker said that limits have been placed on on-site storage by other states that were not challenged by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. While the commission maintains that it cannot address the nuclear hazards, it is expected to require PG&E to monitor and maintain the geologic stability of the project and to build coastal accessways for about 100,000 visitors a year, who will lose their path to the beach once the waste-storage facility is built. William J. Kelly

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Groups Ask CPUC to Analyze Extending Diablo’s Life

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