In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, PG&E has asked all but essential employees at Diablo Canyon Power Plant to work from home, as the utility takes unprecedented measures to try to protect the safe and reliable operation of California’s last remaining nuclear power plant throughout the crisis.
Suzanne Hosn, a PG&E spokesperson, told New Times that PG&E activated its emergency operations center in response to COVID-19 and is now implementing a “holistic pandemic response plan” at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant.
A core component of that plan is to limit the plant’s on-site workforce to only essential operations, maintenance, and security employees, in an effort to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.
“We’ve implemented a number of protective actions at the power plant to protect the health and safety of our workforce and ensure the safe and reliable operation and maintenance of the units,” Hosn said by phone on March 24. “We’re safely operating the plant and we have the staffing that we need. It’s a greatly reduced number, but we’re at required staffing.”
Another COVID-19 protection measure involves rotating shifts at the plant in separate groups, so that in the event one worker tests positive for the virus and compromises team members, a different group can safely step in.
“A variety of scenarios have been prepared” with respect to the progression of COVID-19 and its impacts, Hosn added.
PG&E had an existing pandemic response plan before COVID-19, but it’s now being updated to meet the demands of the current situation.
“Those plans, with the potential thresholds for implementation, are being very thoughtfully developed,” Hosn said, “and it’s important to understand that those are being developed with input from our regulators.”
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the federal agency that licenses and oversees the operation of nuclear power plants, said on its website that it’s “communicating regularly with nuclear plants to discuss current activities and future plans” in light of COVID-19.
Resident inspectors at the NRC are continuing to make periodic visits to the plant sites and are also remotely monitoring plant data systems and other activities.
“The NRC will require plants to shut down if they cannot appropriately staff their facilities,” the website states.
Hosn said that PG&E has been in “continuous contact” with the NRC about the status of Diablo Canyon and its emergency plans, and is also cooperating with any requests for information from the California Public Utilities Commission.
“Their oversight continues,” she said.
With Diablo Canyon powering nearly 10 percent of the entire state’s electrical grid, the nuclear plant is an essential operation that PG&E hopes goes uninterrupted by the pandemic.
“We are committed to providing safe and reliable energy and ensuring business continuity in these really challenging times,” Hosn said.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 5, 2020.
PG&E and other nuclear facilities are putting their workers and our communities at unnecessary risk in this pandemic.
California government knows the Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors are not essential to the electric grid.
There is no way for these utilities to know if their workers have the coronavirus from one day to the next until they are symptomatic.
There is no way to implement social distances at these facilities. And we now know this virus can be airborne for up to 3 hour.
The NRC knows this, but continues to look the other way. The NRC refuses to share information about the number of coronavirus cases each nuclear facility, claiming it’s not their job! Instead, they plan to write more safety exemptions to their regulations. I’ve been participating recent NRC public planning meetings with the nuclear industry.
PG&E is making another decision that puts profits over our safety. How many more people will PG&E be allowed to kill before the Governor stops them?
Every nonessential nuclear facility in this country must be shut down now. Every grid design is supposed to have a backup power source in case of a disaster. This pandemic is a national disaster. Electricity demand is lower right now. Both federal and state governments should be requiring shutdowns. Instead, they are pretending all these nuclear reactors are essential.
Governor Newsom said over 25 million California residents will get the coronavirus in a few weeks if we cannot slow down this virus. There is action he can take today to reduce those numbers at both Diablo Canyon and San Onofre by stopping unnecessary activities at both locations.
San Onofre is shutdown, but Southern California Edison continues fuel loading into Holtec thin-wall canisters and is continuing unnecessary decommissioning activities. Both those must stop today.
The nuclear facilities are misusing the Governor’s exemptions for essential services. The Governor needs to tighten those exemptions for these nuclear facilities so they are not misused: Shutdown Diablo Canyon reactors. Stop fuel loading and decommissioning activities at San Onofre. SanOnofreSafety.org
nuclear power emits the most mutagenic harmful substances for San luis. 3 reports:
RPHP study J Mangano MPH, REPORT ON HEALTH STATUS OF RESIDENTS IN SAN LUIS OBISPO AND SANTA BARBARA COUNTIES LIVING NEAR THE DIABLO CANYON NUCLEAR REACTORS LOCATED IN AVILA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, 2014 http://www.newtimesslo.com/files/news-diab…. CHILDHOOD CANCERS (age 0-19)) increased (+24%) relative to California after 1988-1984. PERINATAL MORTALITY (+28.2%) and INFANT MORTALITY (+17.3%) increased significantly compared to the pre-startup period (1979-1983) rate vs California.
NOTES:
Diablo Unit #1 first went online May 7 1985.
Infant Mortality (Deaths < 1 YEAR)
Perinatal Mortality (DEATHS < 27 DAYS) Community Health, Status Report,San Luis Obispo County california,Public Health Department,2012 with fertility rate table page 7-2 over 20% lower than the california birth rate. http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/PH/Epid…
A Peer-Reviewed Study finds Rising INFANT DEATH RATES Attributable to the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Contact author Jerry B Brown PH.D http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/09/prwe…