Early Closure of Operating Nuclear Power Stations

 

The owners of the Duane Arnold single-unit nuclear power plant in Iowa have decided to permanently close the reactor early after the massive derecho that swept through much of the Midwest recently did serious wind damage to the plant.

The hurricane-force wind also knocked down the grid, causing the Fukushima-style reactor to experience an automatic SCRAM. On-site emergency diesel generators were turned on to maintain essential safety systems to prevent a catastrophic meltdown.

Duane Arnold could not compete with more economical and reliable wind energy —Iowa’s single largest source of electricity at more than 10,000 megawatts — despite being licensed until 2034. Its early closure demonstrates that it cannot compete with severe weather, either.

The closure of the plant would be a piece of great news to many who consider the potential malfunction to be significant biological and economic risks.

Iowa is a windy state and vast space to create non-nuclear and none-fossil fuel sources for electric generation. My concern specifically is directed for several old nuclear power stations in Illinois.

Many of the operating nuclear power generators in Illinois are very close to population centers. I am hoping that they will be decommissioned before their operating-license is expired.

The economic-social impacts for the closure of these nuclear power stations are significant if the alternative replacement for the power generation is not included in the early-decommissioning option.

The cost of the upgrading of many of these plants would be high and may not be economically competitive with the closure option. Modern nuclear power designs would have lower risks of substantial accidents and are smaller in size.

Germany has chosen the option of closing all of its nuclear power stations. Germany has vowed to start decommissioning every nuclear power facility by the end of 2022. Operators began shutting down the Philippsburg nuclear power plant in southern Germany as the country has begun decommissioning all 17 of its atomic energy facilities by the end of 2022.

Should the US old Nuclear Power Stations choose an early closure?

Mountain Lion Killed on Highway 15 near Rainbow / Temecula

The above is a photo of one of the few mountain lions still alive in our region and under our protection. This very disappointing and frustrating.  Winston Vickers reported:

This is just south of the most likely crossing points (other than Temecula Creek Bridge) in our models.  The location is a bit puzzling in that on the west side there is a sheer cut at that point, suggesting the lion either came to the freeway side somewhere else and moved along the edge before trying to cross, or actually had crossed from the east and was hit right before reaching the west shoulder.  We will be doing genetics to determine genetic origin which will give at least a clue as to which direction he was going.  It is a male and looks young but we will know with a look at the teeth.  Just the animal / type of animal we needed to have make it across, a young male.  

This one and the last one hit by a car on I-15 at the end of the southbound ramp from the Rainbow Canyon Road bridge indicate the length of the freeway that needs to be fenced to direct animals to current and any future new crossings.  Fencing could be an interim step before construction of a new crossing somewhere down the road so that animals that come to the roadside would be more likely move to the bridge area - if an animal is motivated enough (like a migrating male) to brave the I-15 traffic I would think that the creek or any new crossing would be more appealing.    

The following photo shows the area where the mountain lion was killed on May 5, 2017. 

The most sensitive region for wildlife migration across Interstate 15 in Temecula is shown in the above picture. The photos shows Temecula Creek, Murrieta Creek and Confluent with Santa Margarita River. The underpass bridge of the interstate 15 is the lush vegetated area on the left central region of the photograph.

If the plan to subdivide the gulf course, shown on the lower left side of the above photo, is carried out, then the wildlife passage between the eastern and the western sections of their habitat would be completely eliminated.  In that case, a wildlife bridge across the highway would have to be mandated.