February 24, 2010 - Safe Is Only Safe until the S#!+ Hits the Fan

Last week, President Obama called for a new generation of "clean, safe nuclear power" plants.  Unfortunately, this is an oxymoron (no, Sarah Palin, it doesn't mean what you think it means), as evidenced this week by the complete shutdown of a two-unit nuclear plant in Maryland.

The Calvert Cliffs nuclear station experienced a series of events which shutdown the unit.  Now, those of us who follow nuclear issues know this is not unusual.  Shutdowns are actually fairly common for a variety reasons.  This case was particularly disturbing because when a nuclear plant is "tripped" or goes down, back-up generators are supposed to kick in to keep the cooling systems running, so there isn't a (uh hum) meltdown of sorts.  At Calvert Cliffs, one of the two main back up generators failed to keep running, and plant workers had to scurry around and find another power source, which wouldn't have been available in a true loss-of-the-grid situation.  Without power, it’s only a matter of time before the spent fuel cooling in giant pools of water starts to heat up and, eventually, catches fire and melts down, releasing enormous amounts of lethal radiation.  Following the event, a nuclear plant worker submitted a letter about his concerns . . . here is an excerpt:

"[J]ust so you know, when the 2 B diesel generator was given an automatic start, and it didn't go that is a major violation of the NRC tech specs.  You see, the generators are there to provide emergency power to put the control rods back in and provide the power to run the RCPs and the salt water pumps and heat exchangers to get rid of the excess heat and keep the reactors and the spent fuel pool cool.  They definitely have had a major problem down there.  I told you it’s just a matter of time before one of these puppies blows."

So, President Obama, exactly where is this safe, nuclear power?  Certainly not at Calvert Cliffs, and if you think this is an isolated incident, we need to talk . . . And, as of this posting, both units at Calvert Cliffs were at zero power—yes, that's reliable power, now isn't it?

Susan