On behalf of Chula Vista Homeowners Association, it is my pleasure to write a letter in support of your proposal to restart the Unit 2 reactor at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. We are all aware that since January, 2012, the plant's two reactors (Units 2 and 3) have been shut down due to premature steam generator tube deterioration which causes nuclear risk by accidentally leaking radiation into the environment. Despite of the petitions to remove the plant due to threatening hazards and the prohibition of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, we are confident that you can create a plan to prevent further generator steam failure though safety measures should come first. We rely so much on San Onofre and you have at least given us hope with your proposal to restart Unit 2 reactor and run it at partial power. Due to the outage, San Onofre has already incurred $317 million on inspections, repairs and power replacement expenses and as customers, we continue to pay on plant operations, maintenance and capital costs. The debate on who’s going to shoulder the repair costs is unending. I believe that shareholders and not ratepayers should cover the repair costs. Insurance companies and the federal government can also be considered to cover the costs. It is sad to know that until now, these proposals remained uncertain and their repair costs has not been resolved or disclosed in public which we as a consumer, have the right to know. San Onofre should continue to operate because it provides the region with electricity as well as essential voltage support. It stabilizes the entire regional electric grid preventing blackouts especially those renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Unlike oil, nuclear power is emission-free so using cleaner electricity generated from renewable resources is safer and economical.
We as residents of San Diego and all the business establishments of Southern California who rely on nuclear energy would primarily benefit on the operation while employees and skilled workers of the nuclear plant can continue with their high-paying jobs.
Compared to other available power sources, San Onofre is cost effective. As a paying customer of Southern California Edison, saving a lot on my monthly bill has always been a pleasure. Hopefully, the plant will re-open as soon as possible because San Onofre has a lot to offer in terms of energy conservation and adapting a clean and green environment which is vital to our country’s progress.
Work Cited:
Bernstein, Sharon.”Regulators to Consider Costs, Rates for San Onofre Plant Problems”. NBC Southern California. 25 Oct, 2012. Web. 27, November, 2012 http://www.nbclosangeles.com>.
Lee, Morgan.“San Onofre Outage Costs Pile Up: $317M”. U-T San Diego. 1 November, 2012. Web. 27, November, 2012 <http://www.utsandiego>.
Sewel, Abby. “San Onofre”. Los Angeles Times. 22 August, 2012. Web. 27, November, 2012. <http://www.articles.latimes.com>.
Southern California Edison.“Power Generation-San Onofre Nuclear
Generating Station”. Southern California Edison. 2012. Web. 27,
November, 2012. <http://www.sce.com>.
