Edison's shareholders, not its customers, should pay for San Onofre's shutdown

Edison’s shareholders, not its customers, should pay for San Onofre’s shutdown

The San Onofre nuclear power plant was closed after a small radiation leak.

July 25, 2016 9:55 AM PT

To the editor: Southern California Edison caused the radiation leak at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station by misusing the reactor, resulting in the power plant’s shutdown in 2013, according to a former Edison engineer. (“San Onofre reactor leaked radiation after being misused, report says,” July 20)

Or, according to Edison, the leak was the result of faulty generators, which Edison commissioned and accepted from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Either way, the cost of shutting down San Onofre should be borne by Edison and its shareholders, not the ratepayers. Edison either used bad judgment in selecting Mitsubishi or operated the reactor outside allowable limits. Regardless, Edison customers shouldn’t be stuck with any part of the bill.

Cherie Shore, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Edison’s overstressing of San Onofre — and not the design of the reactor itself — appears to have resulted in the failure of the steam generators. The decommissioning of San Onofre and the loss of 2,200 megawatts of 24-hour, reliable, carbon dioxide-free electricity is the result.

Edison proposes to build carbon dioxide-spewing gas turbine power plants, which coincidentally will approximate the 2,200 megawatts lost by the decommissioning. At an estimated cost of $4 billion to $5 billion and coupled with the $4 billion to clean up the San Onofre site, that money could easily repair the nuclear power plant with new technology currently in use in many nuclear plants.

Reactivating San Onofre would help us meet the carbon dioxide reduction targets mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Plus, the ratepayers would get something for their money instead of just a stretch of beach.

Gordon Osborne, Woodland Hills

The writer is a former power engineer with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.