Former senior resident inspector at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant Michael Peck has submitted a lengthy opinion piece to The Tribune explaining his reasons for appealing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s conclusion that Diablo Canyon is seismically safe.
In his 3,000-word opinion piece sent Tuesday, Peck said he was “left with the impression that the NRC may have applied a special standard for Diablo Canyon.”
He said that in his 30-year career in the NRC, he had never seen the agency handle a safety evaluation the way it had with Diablo Canyon.
In his appeal, called a differing professional opinion, Peck disagreed with the analysis the NRC used in reaching its conclusion that the plant is seismically safe. Peck recommended that more analysis is needed to determine whether the plant could be safely shut down in the event of an earthquake along the recently discovered Shoreline fault.
The plant’s design and licensing were based on withstanding a 7.5-magnitude earthquake using a "double-design earthquake" safety analysis. Diablo Canyon owner PG&E wanted to change its operating license so that its safety would be based on its continued ability to withstand a 7.5-magnitude quake on the Hosgri fault.
Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/09/24/3262686_former-diablo-canyon-inspector.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
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